Robinson the key to Washington’s ignition
Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Zahmere Robinson has amassed 817 rushing yards and 670 receiving yards this season.
Observer-Reporter
Zahmere Robinson, right, was one of eight receivers in the WPIAL last season to amass over 1,000 yards.
It’s an intriguing question.
Is Zahmere Robinson a wide receiver, a running back or a quarterback?
The talented senior on Washington High School’s football team seems more than capable to play any of those positions and be productive.
In fact, he has played all three positions and has been very productive.
Robinson will pose a boatload of problems for Avonworth’s defense Saturday afternoon in the WPIAL Class AA championship game at Norwin High School.
The Prexies will be searching for their second WPIAL championship in the past three seasons, a feat that no other group of seniors has done in the program’s history.
Kickoff is at noon, and is one of two championship games to be played that day. The second has a 6 p.m. kickoff between Peters Township and Gateway for the Class 5A title.
It was Robinson’s turn to save the day for Washington last week in a semifinal game against Brentwood. Robinson scored on a five-yard run with 1:41 left to play that sealed a 21-14 victory over Brentwood.
And Robinson played all three positions at some point during the game.
“I am a wide receiver,” said Robinson, who is 6-0 and 175 pounds. “That’s where I played over the years. Running back just seemed to come out of nowhere this season.”
Robinson began the year as a wide receiver but he got a chance at running back in the first game, a 48-21 victory over Laurel Highlands. His first carry resulted in a touchdown.
“Coach (Lance) Vallee said why don’t we use him at running back just to stretch them out,” said Robinson. “I scored on my first carry and it’s just became a full-time thing.”
The two key moments of last week’s game were Caleb Jackson’s interception in the final minute play and the hard running of Robinson on the 80-yard touchdown drive. Had those two things not happen, it would be time to prepare for basketball season.
“We knew we had to put the game away and the coaches had enough trust in me to get the job done,” Robinson said.
Robinson is Zack Swartz’s favorite target in the passing game. The two have connected on 39 passes for 670 yards.
“It’s great having him as a running back and a wide receiver,” said Swartz. “We knew he was a deadly player at wide receiver, making plays out of nothing. Now he does that at running back. In my mind, he’s a wide receiver. He’s such a gifted athlete that he could play anywhere but I see him as my wide receiver.”
Robinson needs 183 rushing yards to reach 1,000 this season. He averages 11 yards per carry and, overall, has 19 touchdowns and 116 points. Robinson sits behind Swartz in the rushing category as the quarterback has 126 carries for 1,031 yards. The two have combined for 45 touchdowns and 286 points. Robinson’s stats are down from last year when he had 53 receptions for 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns but barely played running back.
Washington head coach Mike Bosnic seems to know exactly what he has with Robinson.
“He’s an athlete,” said Bosnic.
As such, Bosnic uses Robinson wherever he feels he can do the most damage. And at some points last week, that meant Robinson playing quarterback out of the wildcat formation. Robinson doesn’t take snaps from directly under center but one has to wonder how long he would need to practice before mastering that technique.
“The thing about Zahmere, which is to our advantage, is that we can put him on any spot on the field,” said Bosnic. “He could play any position for us. The thing about the Zahmere that I like is that he is willing to play a physical type of game. He plays the game the right way.”