Robinson closes season on score
Loyola Blakefield football edges out St. Mary’s, 7-6
Loyola Blakefield traveled to St. Mary’s off a series of sour disappointments and washed them away with victory.
Had to, from junior Micah Robinson’s perspective. With suddenly just one more shot to show their seniors their love, the Dons player wanted to give all that he had — and so he did.
With a touchdown that would be the deciding score, Robinson and Loyola Blakefield held back budding rallies from the host Saints for a win, 7-6, in a game that’d been scheduled as a replacement for both teams just two days earlier.
Robinson produced the decisive score in the closing seconds of the first half on a 49-yard run and a missed extra point in the second half by the Saints proved to be the difference.
Beginning with this past Saturday’s blowout loss to Archbishop Spalding, the Dons then surrendered a home game once its tilt with Gilman was scrapped. That meant no senior night, no last time on their own turf.
Then, coach Anthony Zehyoue broke harder news on a Zoom meeting Saturday morning. Because of surging coronavirus cases, there would be no Turkey Bowl, the annual faceoff against Calvert Hall on Thanksgiving morning that stretches back a
century.
Zehyoue didn’t want his players to find out on social media that this, this unplanned game, was their last.
“It’s tough. This school, these kids, love that game. Our environment cherishes it,” Zehyoue said. “I’m heartbroken for them. My planning days are over, but for these seniors to not have that opportunity, that’s tough. They all came out very inspired today.”
No matter what the situation before the game, the grateful Dons gathered postgame.
“To finish off strong for the seniors? It’s everything we wanted,” said Robinson, who ran 114 yards on 11 carries.
It wasn’t just offense that stepped up for the Dons — chiefly, juniors Anto Saka, an inside linebacker whofulfilled a necessity at the defensive end, and Nick DuBois, typically a free safety who recorded four sacks and multiple tackles for loss as a defensive back.
“We probably moved five guys that all remained starters, but we put them in a new role, practiced for a week, and all came out and played,” Zehyoue said. “I’m really proud of them trusting us as coaches.”
Mount Saint Joseph 22, Pallotti 19, 2OTs:
Mount Saint Joseph, playing its first football game in more than a year, turned aside Pallotti in double overtime in a matchup of defending conference champions.
Scott Martin, who had a kick blocked earlier in overtime, delivered a gamewinning 32-yard field goal as his kick bounced off the right upright and over the crossbar. The Gaels, the defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champions, had their first two games of the season postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I just relied on my training,” Martin said. “I’ve been doing this for three years and I was making them from 50 [yards] during halftime. It’s just repeating the ability and not going out there and worrying about anything else.”
He was set up by a strong performance by his defense — especially from defensive back Jabari Echols, who had two interceptions and a pass deflection against the defending MIAA B champions.