Dispatch
8/25
Player won’t let football define him
Reynoldsburg’s Robinson maintains the right attitude
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Years ago, Armand Robinson came to the conclusion that football would never define him.
After sitting out the entire season as an eighth-grader with a broken ankle, he didn’t try out the next two years at Reynoldsburg.
Robinson’s decision had nothing to do with the coaching staff, teammates or the game itself.
"Everybody was asking me about that," Robinson said. "I just watched college football and the NFL on television. I can’t really give a reason for not playing. I just never thought about it. I know that my freshman year I thought they had too many running backs. Now, I love football."
Last season, everyone found out what the Raiders were missing when Robinson caught 42 passes for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.
By the time the college summer camps ended, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Minnesota and Miami University had offered him scholarships and Michigan State and Cincinnati said offers might be pending.
Personal questions tend to embarrass Robinson.
"I just want Reynoldsburg to make the playoffs and have a really good season," he said. "I don’t want the colleges to get into my head, but they’re still in the back of my mind. It’s a great experience, but it can be stressful."
Raiders coach Woody Underwood said that with Robinson, what you see is what you get.
"Armand is a stand-up guy and makes the right choices," Underwood said. "It’s just that football was never a priority in his home. Football is icing on the cake for him. Academics are the most important thing in that family."
Sister Allaina Robinson, a senior on the Reynoldsburg tennis team, can vouch that her mother, Emilie, keeps track of her children’s grades more than their athletics. Older brother Michael is on academic scholarship at Ohio State.
"Armand and I find ourselves motivating each other," Allaina said. "If we have a lot of homework, we’ll say, ‘Let’s sit down in the living room and turn off the TV and concentrate. That way we’ll both get our work done and do it better.’ "
Armand has a 3.0 average taking advancedplacement classes. On the football field, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound receiver does it better than most others, too.
"You hear the term gamer, and Armand is that kind of player," Underwood said. "He’s one step faster than the person chasing him. If he’s tired — and he plays almost every down because he’s a safety and cornerback on defense — he’s still fast."
Robinson’s numbers as a junior are more impressive because the Raiders lost five practice days as penalty for holding unauthorized workouts under previous coach Kerry Hodakievic and that Underwood wasn’t hired until July 17.
"And our quarterback, Lance Lasker, had just transferred from Kansas City," Robinson said. "Coach came in so late that our offense was pretty simple. We ran a lot of ‘you go deep’ plays and fades.
"This season, we’ve got our plays down. We also have more plays. Lance has a nice arm. But I don’t care how many times we throw. We can run all the time as long as we win games."
[email protected]
8/25
Player won’t let football define him
Reynoldsburg’s Robinson maintains the right attitude
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Years ago, Armand Robinson came to the conclusion that football would never define him.
After sitting out the entire season as an eighth-grader with a broken ankle, he didn’t try out the next two years at Reynoldsburg.
Robinson’s decision had nothing to do with the coaching staff, teammates or the game itself.
"Everybody was asking me about that," Robinson said. "I just watched college football and the NFL on television. I can’t really give a reason for not playing. I just never thought about it. I know that my freshman year I thought they had too many running backs. Now, I love football."
Last season, everyone found out what the Raiders were missing when Robinson caught 42 passes for 826 yards and nine touchdowns.
By the time the college summer camps ended, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Minnesota and Miami University had offered him scholarships and Michigan State and Cincinnati said offers might be pending.
Personal questions tend to embarrass Robinson.
"I just want Reynoldsburg to make the playoffs and have a really good season," he said. "I don’t want the colleges to get into my head, but they’re still in the back of my mind. It’s a great experience, but it can be stressful."
Raiders coach Woody Underwood said that with Robinson, what you see is what you get.
"Armand is a stand-up guy and makes the right choices," Underwood said. "It’s just that football was never a priority in his home. Football is icing on the cake for him. Academics are the most important thing in that family."
Sister Allaina Robinson, a senior on the Reynoldsburg tennis team, can vouch that her mother, Emilie, keeps track of her children’s grades more than their athletics. Older brother Michael is on academic scholarship at Ohio State.
"Armand and I find ourselves motivating each other," Allaina said. "If we have a lot of homework, we’ll say, ‘Let’s sit down in the living room and turn off the TV and concentrate. That way we’ll both get our work done and do it better.’ "
Armand has a 3.0 average taking advancedplacement classes. On the football field, the 6-foot-1, 192-pound receiver does it better than most others, too.
"You hear the term gamer, and Armand is that kind of player," Underwood said. "He’s one step faster than the person chasing him. If he’s tired — and he plays almost every down because he’s a safety and cornerback on defense — he’s still fast."
Robinson’s numbers as a junior are more impressive because the Raiders lost five practice days as penalty for holding unauthorized workouts under previous coach Kerry Hodakievic and that Underwood wasn’t hired until July 17.
"And our quarterback, Lance Lasker, had just transferred from Kansas City," Robinson said. "Coach came in so late that our offense was pretty simple. We ran a lot of ‘you go deep’ plays and fades.
"This season, we’ve got our plays down. We also have more plays. Lance has a nice arm. But I don’t care how many times we throw. We can run all the time as long as we win games."
[email protected]
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