FAIRFIELD — Cole Robinson has heard the stories so often, when he retells them, you almost think he’s talking about himself.
Robinson’s father, Tim Robinson, was a standout linebacker for Lawrence High School in the early ’80s. Cole has heard the stories about all the big games in which his father played, about losing to then-arch rival Winslow in the playoffs.
Additional Images
Brewer (4-4) at Lawrence (6-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Keyes Field, Fairfield
Now a senior co-captain at Lawrence himself, Cole Robinson is adding his own chapter to the history of Friday nights at Keyes Field.
“I just want to go out with a bang, and play like my dad did back in the day,” Robinson said.
Robinson and the Bulldogs will get one more game at Keyes Field on Friday night, when they host Brewer in a Pine Tree Conference Class B quarterfinal game.
Like his father, Robinson is a linebacker. Offensively, the 5-foot-8, 200-pound Robinson’s position is usually the answer to a question asked by head coach John Hersom.
“Where were we going to need him the most?” Hersom said.
“I play wherever Coach (Hersom) wants me to play. He’s got me playing tailback, H-back, a little bit of quarterback in some situations. I’ll play wherever he wants me and help the team the best I can,” Robinson said.
This season, that’s meant Robinson has seen time at quarterback, H-back, and most recently, tailback. When tailback Mitchell Cushing went down with an injury in week seven’s game at Brunswick, Hersom decided in the week leading up to the regular season finale against Messalonskee, Robinson could fill the position.
“Not being in that situation before, we didn’t know either, but we thought, he does hit the hole very quick. He’s got quick feet,” Hersom said. “We thought during the week he looked pretty good doing it, so we wanted to make sure we had a way of getting him the ball. He definitely rose to the occasion and played well on both sides of the ball.”
Robinson ran the ball a team-high 17 times, gaining 130 yards and scoring on touchdown runs of 26, 3, and 6 yards in Lawrence’s 34-14 win. Robinson also caught three passes for 43 yards.
Coming up through youth football, Robinson played some fullback, so carrying the ball wasn’t completely foreign.
“It was pretty easy. It’s the same thing as the H-back does, except you have the ball in your hands instead of blocking,” Robinson said.
Robinson started the season at quarterback, but a shoulder injury in Lawrence’s preseason exhibition game set him back. When Cody Martin played well under center, Robinson moved. Robinson was limited to holding for kicks in the season opener at Gardiner, and when he played in week two against Mt. Blue, Robinson broke his left thumb. He played in a cast until last week.
“He was projecting to work out as quarterback. Then he had a couple of early season dings. That kind of put that to the side,” Hersom said. “He could play a lot of positions. He probably could play guard, too. We thought about that last year a little bit.”
As a linebacker, Robinson has excelled. He’s adept at coming up to fill a gap and stop the run, or dropping into pass coverage. Against Messalonskee last week, Robinson’s fourth quarter interception with 8:29 left in the game helped the Bulldogs maintain a 13-point lead, and led to Lawrence’s final touchdown drive.
“He’s just a real poised kid. With that, he can handle a lot. We tend to ask one linebacker to be responsible, to get other people lined up sometimes, to make the calls and be aware. He is kind of like the quarterback of the defense,” Hersom said. “He’s a point guard in basketball. He’s a pitcher in baseball. He’s got all the ball skills. You just don’t find that in linebackers too often.”
During the Senior Night ceremonies before the Messalonksee game, it was announced Robinson hopes to play basketball and baseball in college. When Lawrence’s football season ends, his playing days are over.
Whenever that is, Robinson will have his own stories to tell.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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