J-Hawks own longest 4A skid in state
Sometimes the football gods have a wicked sense of humor.
Take the case of the poor Jefferson J-Hawks, for instance. They had another insult tacked onto their backs this week without even playing a game.
Jefferson has lost 18 straight games and been outscored by a wide margin, 762-150, during the skid, but until this week they shared the longest losing streak in Class 4A with Des Moines Hoover. Then something unusual happened.
Indianola had to forfeit a game to Hoover for using an eligible player, and that ended Hoover's 18-game losing streak and left the J-Hawks alone at the top of the list. It's not the kind of ignominious list that anyone wants to lead.
"That's why I don't read the papers," Jefferson Coach Jim Womochil said after practice Wednesday.
The J-Hawks have not won a ballgame since topping Dubuque Senior, 20-13, on Sept. 25, 2009. It's been more than two years now and the equivalent of two full seasons.
"It's embarrassing for our kids, but it's something we can't focus on," Womochil said. "Otherwise the negativity will take over and you forget about what you're trying to get accomplished.
"That's stuff for the media and the naysayers to focus on," he said. "We're not focusing on that right now. We're focusing on trying to get better this year."
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