For two hours, sometimes three, virtually every day over the summer, Brandon James practiced unrelated to team workouts.
The Hobart senior wide receiver/cornerback drilled with classmates Jared Zanolla and Mickey Wolfe.
James would run routes with Zanolla in coverage, and vice versa. Wolfe would throw the passes.
Anything in an attempt to get an edge.
“We got after each other,” James said. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But being on an island, it helped me improve on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. It shows, it really shows.”
They put in the early work with the thought of extending their final season as late as possible.
And as the calendar has turned to November, the Brickies are still practicing after winning their first sectional title since 1997. They play Northwest Crossroads Conference rival Lowell as they seek their first regional title since 1996.
Hobart’s win at New Prairie ended a 19-year sectional championship drought.
“It was a very emotional time,” James said. “Our community traveled an hour to see us play. To see our fans behind us and supporting us, it was an amazing feeling to hold that trophy after we didn’t hold it for 19 years.
“We did it for our families and our coaches and our fans, and really for our whole community.”
James moved to that community as a sophomore, after spending his freshman year at Merrillville. He quickly embraced Hobart’s tradition.
“Our sophomore and junior year, we didn’t get it done,” James said. “We had to be patient, but it really motivated us. It was a process.”
James was instrumental in that process, including against New Prairie.
He had a season-high six catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the sectional championship game. He also had a season-high seven tackles and an interception.
James deflected credit.
“It’s an 11-guy game,” he said. “On the offensive side of the ball, the quarterback and the linemen put me in a good position to catch the ball, and then it was up to me to make a play.
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“On the defensive side of the ball, you have to sacrifice to make big plays and big stops. That’s what I did, and that’s what we all did.”
James has 34 catches for 544 yards and seven TDs this season. He also has 34 tackles and four interceptions. He’s added two kickoff returns for TDs and a punt return for a TD.
Hobart coach Ryan Turley has become accustomed to James making plays in all three phases.
“He’s had a great season,” Turley said. “He’s a talented young man. He’s doing what we expect out of our seniors. He’s worked hard to have these opportunities with his teammates. He put in a lot of time in the offseason.”
James isn’t ready for another offseason to arrive. He wants to play in college and study sports marketing. But he can’t even think about such prospects.
“It’s a special feeling, but we went back to work, ready to focus,” James said. “The season’s not over yet. We have games to win, goals to achieve. Everything else we can focus on that after the season.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff