Hobart senior Max Pickett has been trying to make up for lost time this season. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound running back missed one game due to an infected left knee that required hospitalization and missed three more games battling mononucleosis.
“I really felt like I needed to play to my fullest potential because I missed half the season,” Pickett said. “I needed to make my boys proud, and I needed to make the city proud. I have to keep on rolling, trust my boys, trust my team, trust my coaches. To be able to come back and play for this team is just important to me. It’s something special. Every week that I was out, I was wishing I was on that field with my boys.”
Since his return, Pickett has been on a tear. On Friday, he ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as the Brickies defeated visiting Lowell 35-15 in a Class 4A sectional championship game.
Hobart’s 20-17 regular-season loss to Lowell, which ended on a last-second field goal in Week 6, was the first game Pickett missed due to mono. This time around, he was one of the key difference-makers for the Brickies (10-2), who will face South Bend St. Joseph (11-1) on the road for a regional title.
“You can see from the score, it was major,” said junior quarterback Aleks Tatum about having Pickett back. “Every guy we have that plays on this team, starts on this team, they’re a major key. It’s not just one or two or three people. It’s all 11 on the field.”
Hobart coach Eric Schreiber Jr. also emphasized Pickett’s importance to the team. “It was a big deal having him back,” Schreiber said. “We had three linemen down and a tight end, so we had five starters essentially down on offense last time we played them. That really hurts. At the end of the day, it was great because we built depth. But you always want to beat them. And at the end of the day, we beat them when it mattered most.”
“Max has a chip on his shoulder too. He’s been doubted his whole career. He wears it with pride. We’re proud of him.”
Pickett entered the sectional final with 880 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has left little doubt about his impact down the stretch, racking up impressive numbers in recent games:
– 140 yards and two touchdowns against Highland in the regular-season finale
– 163 yards and two touchdowns against New Prairie in the sectional opener
– 240 yards and three touchdowns against Kankakee Valley in the sectional semifinal
But this win meant the most. Hobart last won a sectional title in 2020 by beating Lowell 10-7 on their way to the state championship game.
“That’s crazy,” Pickett said. “It means so much to give back to the city after all those years of disappointment. I’m really happy we were able to make these fans proud.”
“This city has so much history, and to build on it and be remembered is really important to this team. This coaching staff really talked to us about needing to build on this history. We can’t just be a one-decade team. We have to build on it and be a multidecade team.”
Pickett’s father, Mike, is a 1995 Lowell graduate who was the program’s career rushing leader until 2009. Mike made the all-state team as a senior in 1994 and played at Ball State. He also served as Hobart’s offensive coordinator.
“I grew up on these sidelines watching this team,” Max Pickett said. “I don’t think I was on the sidelines when we won a sectional championship, so this is really important to me.”
The victory was also special for Tatum, who ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 68 yards and two touchdowns, both caught by junior wide receiver Bryce Tolliver.
“It feels amazing,” Tatum said. “It feels amazing to get it with this group of guys too. This senior class is really special. It’s hard to put into words right now. We’ll celebrate for 24 hours, but we’re going to keep going — regionals, semistate, state finals. That’s the goal. Our thing has been ‘play 15,’ and that’s our goal.”
This is the last season for Pickett and Tatum as teammates.
“Me and Tatum really grew up together playing Pop Warner,” Pickett said. “We’ve played together since we were in kindergarten, and to see how much he’s grown and how much of a leader he is, it’s just crazy. I’m really proud of him. He’s going to be a great leader next year for this team.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/08/4a-football-lowell-hobart-max-pickett/