FAYETTEVILLE — Justice Hobbs was ready from day one to add an extra ingredient into the Farmington offense this football season.
The sophomore did much more than that.
Hobbs, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound fullback, not only blended in well into the offensive scheme as one of Farmington’s top ball carriers this season. He also emerged as the top young player in the 4A-1 Conference, guiding the Cardinals to a third place finish in the league and a trip to the Class 4A playoff s.
For his efforts, Hobbs has been named the All-NWA Media Newcomer of the Year for schools in Class 5A and below.
“I had high expectations for myself and for my team this year,” Hobbs said. “I didn’t know I would have this type of year where I would get this honor, but I knew I could come in and help the team.”
Hobbs came to the varsity level this year with big plans, and the Farmington coaches didn’t back down from any of the hype. But with the Cardinals already set at tailback, with junior Josh Blew in place, Hobbs had to learn a new position in his sophomore season.
No problem for Hobbs.
“He played a lot of fullback for us and that was new for him,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “But whenever we got the lead, he was going to get the ball because he was going to get the yards for us.”
Hobbs saw the benefit in working in a combo backfi eld in his first season with the Cardinals. With Blew providing more of the shifty speed, it was up to Hobbs to deliver the bruising power.
“Josh is a great player and he had the speed,” Hobbs said. “And I had the power. The defenses never knew what to expect with us and that worked really well.”
Hobbs earned all-conference honors for Farmington, rushing 154 times for 908 yards and five touchdowns. He also added seven receptions for 73 yards. Despite the impressive numbers, though, the third-place finish in the 4A-1 Conference and early exit from the playoffs left him unsatisfied with his fi rst year of high school football.
“As a team we we re disappointed,” Hobbs said. “Because we didn’t play as a team the way we were supposed to in every game.”
The good news for Farmington as they move up to the 5A-West Conference next season is that Hobbs should only get better. And while this year was a breakout year for the sophomore, the Cardinals might have only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as Hobbs is concerned.
“He’s a big kid, but he’s going to get a lot better,” Adams said. “He’s played basketball up until this year and now he’s going to have a full year in the weight room to get even stronger.
“You can tell in off season workouts he’s one of those guys asking for extra things to do and I expect him to be one of those guys that other guys will follow.”