Joe Pesansky moved from Virginia to the Tampa area this summer. He enrolled at Jesuit and emerged from a crowded competition as the starting quarterback. Since then, Pesansky has become one of the best signal callers in school history, throwing for 2,819 yards and 34 touchdowns. Tonight, he will lead the Tigers into the Class 5A state semifinals against Plantation American Heritage. The Holy Cross commit talked this week about bouncing around from state-to-state, his initial lack of love for football and the difficulties of finding shoes for his oversized feet.
On the move
Pesansky has lived in five states: Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The frequent family moves are due to his father’s job at Enterprise Rentals. That is the reason Pensansky is in Tampa. At that time, Virginia had shut down high school sports because of the coronavirus pandemic. “My dad’s job wanted him to come down here. We decided it was the best move to make,” Pesansky said.
Accidental quarterback
Growing up, Pesansky played baseball, basketball and soccer. He had no plans to play football when he started high school. In fact, he wanted to join cross country in the fall to stay in shape for other sports. His friends and coaches eventually convinced to become a quarterback as a freshman.
Bigfoot
Pesnasky has had size 15 feet since he was 13 years old. That can cause problems when finding shoes. “It’s pretty hard, sometimes,” Pesansky said. “ I can find (shoes) at a Nike outlet, or Ross, but most of the time I have to order them online.”
