Jobe does the job for Winnetonka

Friday September 11, 2009 7:00 PM
Team (Record)	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Park Hill South (5 - 6)	14	7	3	0	24
Winnetonka (8 - 4)	0	6	8	14	28

Darrell Jobe needed a sidekick and needed one badly. For most of the first half, Jobe was a one-man show. He carried the football on almost every play, and when Winnetonka did throw the football, the Griffins were throwing to Jobe.

With the Griffins down three scores in the second quarter to Park Hill South, it appeared impossible for Jobe to carry the Griffins all by himself. That’s when coach Ken Clemens turned to backup quarterback Joe Mike Favoroso, who completed passes early and gave the Griffins a balanced attack.

Favoroso’s play was just enough to force Park Hill South’s defense to take nine defenders off the line of scrimmage. That was all Jobe needed as he and Favoroso led the Griffins to a 28-24 victory Friday night.

In the second half, Jobe rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns, leading Winnetonka to score 28 of the final 31 points. The Griffins, 3-0, started the game with the same mistakes they’ve had all season.

Penalties, turnovers and silly mistakes put Clemens’ team in a hole. Winnetonka was forced to pass to catch up, so the Griffins tried to get Favoroso in rhythm with short passes out of the pocket.

“I was prepared to come in,” said Favoroso, who usually plays wide receiver. “I don’t practice quarterback that much, but it was enough to get me ready.”

In Favoroso’s second drive under center, he led the Griffins to their first score — a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jobe with 12.5 seconds left before halftime. That played seemed to give Winnetonka the momentum.

“We had no doubt at halftime,” Clemens said. “We’ve been letting teams hang around because of mistakes. We need them to quit holding and don’t turn the ball over.”

The Griffins listened to Clemens and as the game wore down, Jobe proved to be too much for Park Hill South, 1-2. In the fourth quarter, Jobe put the Griffins up for good with a 62-yard touchdown run in which he made five Panthers miss. Jobe finished the game with 292 yards and all four Griffin touchdowns.

“I’ve coached for 19 years,” Park Hill South coach Ron Litchfield said. “I don’t think I’ve faced a kid like that.”

Still, Jobe knows he wouldn’t have had his best game as a Griffin without Favoroso’s help.

“Joe Mike just told me to be focused and that he would help me,” Jobe said. “He said ‘Let’s go,’ and I knew we had a chance.”

As for Favoroso, he was said he felt incredible just to have helped lead the team to victory.

“This win proves a lot,” he said. “It’s a message to everybody that we can play ball.”

submitted by NATE TAYLOR - 2009-09-11 23:17:01

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