San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
ROBINSON EARNS ‘MR. FOOTBALL’ TAG FROM CALHI
Writers from around the state sat in the pressbox at Saddleback College and wondered if they had missed something on running back Roderick Robinson and the Lincoln High football team.
The Hornets trailed Concord De La Salle 14-7 at the half of the State Division 1AA championship game and Robinson looked pedestrian.
The second half was entirely different as Lincoln rallied for a 33-28 win and Robinson scored three times, twice on 32-yard runs.
He finished the game with 22 carries for 217 yards and four touchdowns and the season with 217 carries for 2,378 yards and 37 TDS.
Robinson said after the De La Salle game that a hamstring injury had him operating at 50 percent.
And this weekend Robinson — who has signed to play at Georgia — was named Mr. Football State Player of the Year by Calhi Sports.
Since 1916, Robinson is the 10th San Diego player to earn Mr. California honors, joining RB Dillon Baxter (Mission Bay, 2009), RB Tyler Gaffney (Cathedral Catholic, 2008), RB Terry Rodgers (Sweetwater, 1985), RB Marcus Allen (Lincoln, 1977), WR Wally Henry (Lincoln, 1972), RB C.R. Roberts (Oceanside, 1953), WR Charley Powell (San Diego, 1950) and QB Cotton Warburton (San Diego, 1929) and QB Brick Muller (San Diego, 1916).
Calhi’s Mr. Football list includes Heisman Trophy winners Allen, Charles White (San Fernando/usc), Mike Garrett (L.A. Roosevelt/usc) and Glenn Davis (La Verne/army).
Also on the list are great names like John Elway (Granada Hills), Pat Haden (Bishop Amat), former San Diego State QB Jesse Freitas
(San Mateo Serra), Tony Gwynn’s brother-inlaw (Mickey Cureton (Compton Centennial), Amani Toomer (De La Salle), Willie Brown (Long Beach Poly) and baseball greats Jackie Jenson (Oakland) and Marty Keough (Pomona).
More honors?
Maxpreps will name its National Player of the Year on Tuesday, and Robinson is among four finalists.
The others under consideration are:
QB Micah Alejado of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, who threw for 3,575 yards and 52 TDS with only two interceptions while completing 75.8 percent of his passes. A junior, he has not committed to a college.
QB Jackson Arnold of Texas Denton, who threw for 3,476 yards and 33 TDS with three interceptions while completing 68.7 percent of his passes. He has signed with Oklahoma.
DL Rueben Bain of Miami Central, who had 29 sacks and 33 TFL. He has signed with Miami.
Athlete Caleb Downs of Georgia Mill Creek, who had 83 tackles and five interceptions on defense — two of those for TDS — while piling up 1,064 all-purpose yards offensively with 23 TDS. He has signed with Alabama.
Final rankings
Lincoln finished No. 3 in California on the Maxpreps Rankings behind No. 1 Bellflower St. John Bosco and No. 2 Santa Ana Mater Dei.
Carlsbad was No. 13, Mater Dei Catholic was No. 24, Madison No. 28, Granite Hills No. 30, Mission Hills No. 46, Cathedral Catholic No. 47, Poway No. 70, El Camino No. 78 and Helix No. 93.
In California, 1,041 teams play 11-man football.
john.maffei@sduniontribune.com