Friday Night Lights is back! The 2018 high school football season opened last week with stunning upsets, impressive comebacks, and pull away victories.
Amongst these exciting season openers was a matchup between the Pioneer Mustangs and the Branham Bruins. The Mustangs were able to pull away from the Bruins in the second half scoring 14 unanswered points, and controlling the clock to a 27-6 victory. This was due in large part to the play from Senior Quarterback, Austin Jobe. He attacked the secondary all night and was able to go 15-21 for 259 yards. He also averaged 36.3 yards per punt on Special Teams.
"Austin has great poise in the pocket, and is continuing to build confidence in the offense. We got a new offensive coordinator in the off-season, so Austin has been working hard to learn the new system. He has spent a lot of time during the summer putting work in and now it's paying off," says coach Perry.
Jobe has been working hard to make a strong come back for his senior season after his junior campaign ended early with a broken collarbone. "Austin is a vocal leader, he's not afraid to get in front of the guys and challenge them to put the work in" says Perry. "He knows what it takes to win and how much of a team effort it is. So getting the team to put the work in was a big priority this off season."
When asked about Jobe and his control of the game Perry states, "Austin is just one of those kids that you want on your team, he's got great character and knows exactly what he is doing on and off the field. He's a guy you know you can trust, a positive leader who demands as much of himself as he does of his teammates."
In a season opening game you can usually see the butterflies from players and coaches alike "You're always a bit on edge for the first game, so once we settled down a bit and started making the right reads, you could tell he was finding his confidence and flow in the offense. In the 2nd quarter he rolled out of the pocket away from pressure and threw a deep pass to his Receiver, that was the moment I saw his confidence grow" said Perry. After missing on a few reads early in the first quarter it was apparent the game was in good hands and the Pioneer offense didn't look back.
The Mustangs opened the 3rd quarter with a powerful rushing attack allowing them to control the clock and slow down the game, which led to 14 unanswered points in the 4th and a Pioneer victory.
Austin is a strong competitor off the field as well, with a cumulative GPA of 3.2. When he is not spending time in the classroom or on the football field, he also volunteers his time during the holidays to work at local foodbanks. It is safe to say the future looks bright for #12!
As the home school of the 49ers High School Player of the Week, Pioneer will receive a $500 grant for their football program from the 49ers Foundation. As part of this award, Jobe will receive two tickets to a 49ers home game where he will be recognized on the field during pre-game. At the end of the season, Jobe will be invited to the SAP Performance Facility to watch a closed practice where 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, will officially present him with his award.
Congratulations Austin!
