Rams football finds a leader in Robinson

Rockville 21, Northwood 0

Robinson had performed well in practice and through preseason, but even second-year coach Mark Maradei wondered how he’d handle the pressures of his first varsity game, playing at home in front of friends and family.

The pressure and expectations, any doubts thrown at him, and pure desire to keep Rockville afloat, provided Robinson with enough adrenaline and motivation for a promising outing.

The versatile right-hander completed 6 of 13 pass attempts for 50 yards, including two touchdown tosses. And he rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

‘‘He’s an athlete and athletes make plays,” Maradei said of Robinson. ‘‘And I feel that he’s going to continue to flourish because he is an athlete and because he tasted success as a leader [Friday night].”

Rockville as a whole finds itself in a different situation this year — trying to validate last year’s 7-3 campaign. And the Rams must do so without many of the big names that led them to the verge of the state playoffs — quarterback Joe York (1,468 passing yards, 16 touchdowns), tight end Kevin McTighe (645 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns) and running back Muhammad Ferguson (1,046 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns).

Friday’s performance, in which the Rams were able to move the ball equally efficiently on the ground and in the air, proved Rockville could be a playoff contender again in Class 2A in 2007. Senior Jeremy Shumway snagged three passes for 26 yards, two touchdowns. And senior running back Tarik Paul picked up 61 yards on 16 carries, including a 2-point conversion run.

‘‘I think some of our questions were answered, but not all of them,” Maradei said. ‘‘I think it’s critical for us to win this first game. A lot of people felt we did well last year because of all the seniors and I don’t want the kids this year to have to carry around that burden. I think we’re capable of continued success if they continue to work as hard as they have been.”

Northwood (0-1), in just its second year of varsity ball after a 23-year absence, is still yearning for its first official victory on the field — it picked up a forfeit win over Einstein last season. The Gladiators got knocked around last year but proved in Friday’s loss, they shouldn’t be overlooked in 2007. They had their moments against Rockville — sophomore quarterback Jimmy Hessler completed 11 of 22 pass attempts for 117 yards and senior wide receiver Anthony Lloyd caught three passes for 52 yards. But Northwood’s rushing game was shut down, including senior running back Alex Bazzie (a 1,000-yard rusher a year ago), who carried seven times for just 21 yards.

‘‘We can take a lot of positives away from the game,” Northwood second-year coach Dennis Harris said. ‘‘We had our opportunities, we just couldn’t make the play.”

Which was not the case for Robinson. All the eyes that were on him Friday were not disappointed, and he intends to keep it that way.

‘‘I felt a lot of pressure, everyone was depending on me to be the anchor of the team,” Robinson said. ‘‘Knowing the team relies on me makes me go harder, it’s my fuel.”