LOUISVILLE — Noxubee County High School football coach Tyrone Shorter can’t figure out what all college coaches who have watched Darrell Robinson play this season don’t see.
Shorter concluded Thursday that something must be wrong with all of those coaches after he watched Robinson rush for 326 yards on 39 carries and six touchdowns in a 41-28 victory against Louisville High.
“I just don’t know what they could possibly want in a running back when my guy is everything in a single package,” Shorter said. “I don’t understand it. They know about out program and they’ve seen Darrell, but they won’t offer him a scholarship. It’s crazy.”
Robinson accounted for more than 70 percent of Noxubee County’s offense in the Class 4A, Region 4 victory at Louisville. His effort helped the Tigers (10-0, 4-0 region) clinch first place in the region with one regular-season game remaining.
When asked if the six touchdowns were the most he has scored in his football career, the senior had to pause for the first time all evening.
“I guess so,” Robinson said. “I just never thought about it like that.”
Robinson, who had 22 carries for 204 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, said he “had a feeling in pregame warmups he would have big production against a defense that had allowed 20 or more points in five of first nine games.
“I’d just never had this feeling before leading up to a game,” Robinson said. “I knew my team would need me to run the ball, and when it counted the most, my line and I were able to deliver.”
Robinson now has 1,734 rushing yards this season with a team-high 32 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound tailback has is averaging more than 6.5 yards per carry.
“It seems like we can give him the ball 40 or 50 times in a game and he just doesn’t wear down,” Shorter said. “I’ve seen a lot of great players at this school, but he’s just amazing. If he doesn’t win some state and area player of the year awards then something is just wrong and crazy, period.”
Robinson, who has received only one scholarship offer from Alcorn State University, had two touchdown runs of 40 yards or more that broke Louisville’s spirit. His only mistake was an interception on a halfback pass call on the first play of the game.
Noxubee County raced out to a 28-0 halftime lead by controlling the
line of scrimmage with its running game and by terrorizing quarterback Wyatt Roberts with its pass rush. Roberts faced constant pressured in the first half and was sacked four times in the first 30 minutes.
“We just have had bad first quarters for whatever reason in nearly every game we’ve played this season,” said Louisville coach M.C. Miller, whose team slipped to 6-4 and 3-1. “Tonight we had a bad half and it cost us.”
Shorter was concerned coming out of halftime that a letdown was bound to happen after his team dominated the first two quarters.
“We knew Louisville had a great offensive coordinator and they would make adjustments,” Shorter said. “What is so frustrating is the penalties we had to give them chance after chance to get back in.”
The 28 points is the most Noxubee County has given up since a 45-29 victory at New Hope on Sept. 2, 2011. Many of those points came against the second-team defense.
Roberts (273 passing yards) led the comeback by hitting seven receivers with a completion.
“We came in knowing we could play with them and score against them,” Miller said. “We have a good plan against them, but we just can’t put ourselves behind that much to start the game.”
Leading just 28-20 in the fourth quarter, Noxubee County turned to Robinson and handed him the ball seven straight time. The result was a game-clinching 69-yard drive that he capped with a 40-yard touchdown scamper.
“When we needed them the most tonight, our offensive line came up big, and that’s something I love to see,” Shorter said. “They answered the call of our coaches tonight and won us the football game.”
Noxubee County will play next week at Caledonia, while Louisville will play host to a Senior Night celebration against Leake Central.
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