MACON — It’s easy to get overshadowed when you’re a member of the Noxubee County High School defense.
Over the years, the Tigers have developed a reputation for having an attacking defense that sends multiple players to the football to make plays.
Jeffery Simmons and Qendarrion Barnett were two of Noxubee County’s best in that area last season. Simmons, a Mississippi State signee, paced the Tigers with 20 ½ tackles for loss and 18 1/2 sacks, while Barnett, who signed with Idaho, led the team in solo tackles (137) and tackles (163). Their efforts spearheaded Noxubee County’s drive to a history-making run at a second-consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State title. The championship was the Tigers’ third in four years.
Kalmorris Robinson didn’t get lost in the shuffle, but he often didn’t get a lot of credit last season for Noxubee County’s defensive success.
That will change this season.
With Simmons, Barnett, and Deveon Ball, who helped anchor the secondary, moving on to the next level, Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter is counting on Robinson to emerge as one of the leaders on defense.
“He got overshadowed last year because of Jeffery, Qendarrion, and Ball, but he was the third-leading tackler on our defense,” Shorter said. “He made a ton of plays. He is the type of kid we can move around to play a lot of different positions.”
Robinson played outside linebacker last season and finished third in solo tackles (68) and tackles (84) a year ago. At 5-foot-9, 207 pounds, Robinson has gained 15 pounds and is primed to move to inside linebacker. He said he isn’t trying to replace Barnett and that his goal is to continue the Tigers’ tradition on defense.
“I am being asked to help replace a lot of the seniors and to take on a bigger role,” Robinson said. “It is going to be a whole lot different. I haven’t played middle linebacker since my ninth-grade year.”
The lack of experience at middle linebacker doesn’t faze Robinson. He said he has worked on his footwork and becoming more vocal so he can make the play calls for the linebackers. He hopes the work he put in in the offseason translates to the field and helps him earn a scholarship offer to play in college. He said he has received offers from Jackson State and Alcorn State, as well as interest from junior college in the state. He feels he will play safety or a rover position in college.
But Robinson isn’t going to get ahead of himself. In fact, he said his goal is to get 200 tackles in his senior season. That was the same goal Barnett set prior to the 2015 campaign.
“I have to do a little bit more,” Robinson said. “I have big shoes to fill. I have to get up where June Bug (Barnett) was.
“He did an outstanding job at what he did. I think I can do better.”
Shorter feels this will be Robinson’s year. He already has seen Robinson assume a bigger leadership role and accept the responsibility of being a vocal leader on defense. He said Robinson has made that transition because he is like Barnett in a lot of ways. He said Robinson can cover receivers out of the backfield, like Barnett, and that he anticipates Robinson having the same freedom Barnett had to make audibles and change the defense if he sees the opponent doing something different.
The similarities between Barnett and Robinson give Shorter the confidence to feel Robinson won’t get lost in the shuffle and that he will be a breakout performer.
“I think this will be his year,” Shorter said. “He is ready for that because he has the same mentality Barnett has. His motor never stops. He is a hard worker. He is very physical. He is just a little bit bigger than Barnett, but he can run really well. He is taking on that responsibility very well.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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