It’s hard to slow down the blazing Michael Robinson. Through five games, nobody’s accomplished it.
The Edgewood quarterback ran wild Friday in a 30-14 win at Joppatowne. When plays broke down, Robinson darted from the pocket and breezed past defenders. He easily found the edge on designed runs that wore down Joppatowne’s defense. And with two passing touchdowns on top of his two rushing scores, opponents can’t forget his rocket arm.
“He’s a playmaker,” Edgewood coach Keith Rawlings said. “He’s quick and he’s shifty.”
Like it has all season, Robinson’s speed gave Edgewood the advantage it needed Friday. It’s keyed the Rams’ undefeated start through five weeks.
Robinson won the starting role after a preseason competition with senior Brian Guerrero, who’s now a starting defensive end. The junior has been the architect of these five wins, which have come by an average of 18 points.
Friday’s contest, Joppatowne’s homecoming, was a showcase for his dual-threat abilities.
In the third quarter, Robinson escaped pressure near midfield and scrambled into the opponent’s red zone. Then a long Dre’yon Goldsborough carry set up Robinson’s 1-yard touchdown run that put Edgewood ahead by two scores. Adrian Wright had the Rams’ first touchdown on a first-quarter rushing score.
When Joppatowne finally answered, Robinson responded with his arm. He launched a 43-yard touchdown to TJ Wesson to put Edgewood back ahead by two scores late in the third quarter, then threw a 26-yard strike to Kyion Greenwood to go ahead, 24-8, in the game’s final minutes.
Robinson added his fourth touchdown on another 1-yard sneak the next time he got the ball to put the finishing touches on a 16-point win.
“People are gonna load the box thinking you can’t throw, so you gotta be able to throw,” Rawlings said. “He’s starting to get his reads better. Once he starts hitting that middle-of-the-field pass, it changes a lot of things for us. We were happy tonight.”
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Edgewood’s defense, paced by interceptions from Greenwood and Quintin Williams, held Joppatowne to just eight points until late in the fourth quarter as Robinson and the offense pulled away.
“We got kids who are pretty hungry,” Rawlings said.
Despite a second loss, Joppatowne hasn’t let a difficult season get the best of them. The team canceled its season opener after a fatal shooting at the school the morning of the game. Joppatowne returned the next week, but is playing this season with just three seniors.
The Mariners rely on a run-oriented offense behind an overpowering offensive line and running back Anthony Hall, who entered Friday with 478 yards and seven touchdowns in his first three games. Edgewood slowed Hall until the third quarter, when he finally found the end zone for the home team’s first score to pull within four after a successful two-point try.
But their defense had little answers for Robinson and the dynamic Edgewood offense. Turnovers and penalties kept Joppatowne from pulling any closer.
With another statement win, Edgewood is making its case to be Harford County’s best.
“It was a dog fight,” Rawlings said. “We were fortunate to come out of it the way we did.”
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