Losing Skid Wears Thin on Jelly : All-Star Wants to Exit on a Winning Note

Darrin Jelly has not won a football game since Sept. 25. That’s nine frustrating months for the senior from Newbury Park High.

While teams such as Marmonte League rivals Thousand Oaks and Channel Islands were winning games well into December, Newbury Park and Jelly did not win after their third regular-season game--and tied only once after that.

The Panthers finished a dismal 1-8-1.

Jelly and his teammates languished in the throes of a miserable season that in the beginning held promise. Before the season, Coach Ken Cook said Newbury Park had the ability to give league favorite Thousand Oaks “all they want.” The Lancers, it turned out, must have wanted a walkover.

Injuries struck down much of the Panthers’ offensive line early, leaving Jelly vulnerable as the team’s part-time fullback, part-time tailback.

He carried 141 times for 414 yards--a 2.93-yard average--and 2 touchdowns. As a team, the Panthers rushed for only 613 yards. Jelly also caught 18 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns. The 569 combined yards accounted for 28% of Newbury Park’s entire offensive output.

“I went out there and tried my best, but the line was having trouble,” the 6-1, 205-pound Jelly said. “I didn’t have a lot of holes, and the ones I had I had to create myself.”

So the team, in effect, turned to Jelly.

“Darrin’s probably one of the best blockers around coming out of the backfield,” Cook said. “We moved him from fullback to running back but had to change him back because we had no blocking.”

Tonight at 7:30, in the Ventura County All-Star football game at Oxnard High, Jelly will have a shot at righting some of the wrongs of a lost season--but from the other side of the line of scrimmage. Jelly will play strong-side linebacker for the East team, coached by Thousand Oaks’ Bob Richards.

The East backfield includes Thousand Oaks’ Marc Monestime, Ventura County’s all-time rushing leader, along with fullback Mike Moore of Thousand Oaks, Camarillo’s Bill Bell, Westlake’s Noel Baker and Simi Valley’s Tony Kerr. The five combined for 6,085 yards and 68 touchdowns last season. It is a tough lineup to crack.

“I wanted to play a little fullback,” Jelly said, “but I like defense, too.”

For Richards and his staff, Jelly has been one of the most pleasant developments.

“I like him a lot,” defensive coordinator Rob Elliot said. “Darrin’s a real tough kid, and we knew that. He’s a real hard worker, he has good quickness, and he’s gonna hit you.”

In the fall, Jelly will attend Chico State which, like other members of the Division II Northern California Athletic Conference, has no scholarships to offer.

Although he may not have the attention of a major college, Jelly’s drive to win has not dulled, even in an all-star game designed to showcase individual talent. He called it “intense fun.”

“The game is fun and everything, but when it comes down to it, we want to win,” he said. “You want to show why you’re there, especially for me since I didn’t have too good of a season.

“It’s nice having a lot of people around you who can play the game. Most of the players are leaders from their teams, captains. They like to play football.”

Jelly means no slight toward his Newbury Park teammates. In fact, he was adamant in saying that the Panthers had a good team, albeit one burdened by injuries and inexperience. In comparison, however, the East team, like the West, is loaded.

Twenty-four players who participated in last season’s Coastal Conference championship game--13 from Thousand Oaks and 11 from Channel Islands--will again face each other.

Monestime, offensive linemen Greg Banks and Eric Dennis, quarterback Steve Sisco, defensive backs Lance Alverson and Chris Gann, and linebacker Mack Humphrey are Thousand Oaks’ All-Marmonte League players for the East.

All-Marmonte players from Channel Islands on the West team include receiver Victor Caro, offensive linemen Carlos Hernandez and John Peterson, defensive linemen Manuel Camarillo and Steve Balonek, and linebacker Ray Mosones.

Camarillo receiver Gil Valencia, who will play for the East, and Monestime also have been chosen to play in the 37th Shrine all-star game, to be held July 23 at the Rose Bowl.

Heady company for a guy who hasn’t seen the happy side of a decision in far too long.