Jaryd Hobbs Earns Spot as All-Time Hurdler for Branford Hornets Boys' Indoor Track

Coming off a campaign in which he helped Branford boys' soccer post its best year in program history, Jaryd Hobbs set his sights on another major achievement with the indoor track squad this winter. Jaryd wanted to break the Hornets' record in the 55 hurdles-a record held by his mentor and 2011 graduate Joe Flynn-and by placing sixth with a time of 8.27 at last week's state meet, the junior not only bested Flynn's mark of 8.31, but became Branford's first male athlete to make the State Open in several decades.

"At the start of the season, breaking the school record was in the back of my mind," says Jaryd. "After I ran 8.9 at our first meet, I knew was getting close and thought that I might be able to do it by the end of the season."

Jaryd's season saw him improve with every meet, including an 8.65 that placed him fourth in the SCC Western Sectional meet at which the Hornets young, yet talented squad captured the crown. Jaryd then dropped his time again at the SCC Championship by placing fourth at 8.43, while also faring well in the pole vault and 4x400 relay, setting up a potential historic day at the Class L meet. With his parents and grandparents cheering him on from the stands, Jaryd etched his name in the history books by going four-hundredths of a second better than Flynn.

"I knew that this could be my last race of the season [had Jaryd not qualified for the Open] and so I just wanted to focus on having good form and going fast," he says. "I actually was confident that I would beat the record that day because I was going up against a lot of really fast kids and that pushed me to run fast. After I broke it, my teammates and coaches saw the big smile on my face and they, too, were full of smiles and congratulated me."

After the meet, Jaryd received another congratulatory message in a text from Joe Flynn, who expressed nothing but happiness that his protégé, neighbor, and dear friend had earned himself his esteemed distinction. Jaryd, in turn, could not be more grateful for how took Flynn took him under his wing and helped him develop into an all-time Hornets' hurdler.

"Joe taught me everything I know about hurdling, from how to properly stretch before a race, to the correct form during race, to ways you can get faster," says Jaryd, who also does the 110 and 300 hurdles during outdoor season. "Joe and I had a friendly competition and he always said that as long as we came in first and second, it didn't matter which one of us won. Joe's overall attitude and encouragement is what drove me forward."

But of course, Jaryd also received plenty of encouragement and advice from Hornets' coach Rich Biondi, another person who was pleased to see him hurdle the record and discusses an attribute he feels propels Jaryd to success.

"In one of Jaryd's first meets as a freshman, we were competing against Cross and had the meet won, but Jaryd still had to run the 300 hurdles," Biondi says. "At the time, Jaryd was 5-foot-2 and running against an older kid from Cross, who was about 6 foot. Jaryd battled him for all 10 hurdles and beat him and that showed everyone Jaryd is a fighter and competitor who will always give 100 percent no matter the score or who he's up against."

Jaryd says his competitive nature largely stems from his father Ian Hobbs, who coaches youth soccer in Branford and who Jaryd says, "never lets me beat him in anything."

Jaryd used this fiery intensity to help Branford boys' soccer beat several teams this past fall, including three in the Class L bracket en route to the program's first-ever appearance in a state semifinal. Jaryd was literally in the middle of the Hornets' success as the team's central-midfielder and Coach Paul Hunter appreciates how valuable he was to Branford's home-stretch surge.

"Jaryd was the backbone of our midfield as he's a tireless runner at both ends who has a huge heart and a great work ethic," says Hunter of Jaryd, who will be one of Branford's four captains next fall. "Jaryd does not like to lose and is willing to do anything he can to make sure that doesn't happen. You'll find him in the other team's 8-yard box trying to score, and then 10 seconds later, he's back defending; he never takes a break from his responsibilties."

Jaryd-a member of Model Congress who will soon be inducted into the National Honor Society with plans of studying engineering in college-points to a speech Coach Hunter delivered prior to a game versus North Haven as the season's turning point for after having previously lost to the Indians, Branford notched a 2-0 victory that earned it a share of the Oronoque crown. The rest, as they say, was indeed history and Jaryd contributed to one of the postseason's biggest moments by assisting Brian Castellon for the lone goal in the Hornets' 1-0 quarterfinal triumph against Berlin.

"It felt so great that we all put in so much hard work and saw the outcome of that by becoming the best boys' soccer team in the history of Branford so far," says Jaryd. "It was a great season and we want to go even further next year."