MACON – Thoroughbred horses are advised to not run on wet tracks.
Noxubee County High School running back Darrell Robinson has no such concerns.
On the chewed-up quagmire that was Tiger Stadium Friday night, Robinson looked like he was on roller skates. The do-it-all senior rushed for 210 yards, totaled 375 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns as the Tigers rolled over New Hope 60-13 in a non-region prep football contest.
“In the film room this week, he told us he was going to have a big game,” Noxubee County sophomore defensive back Darrell Brandon said. “I hope he tells us that every week for the rest of the season.”
The Tigers are turning heads with their 3-0 start, which also includes impressive wins over Starkville and Craigmont, Tenn. Noxubee County has gotten to that mark by starting fast. Friday night was no different.
Robinson ran the opening kickoff back 75 yards and two plays later tallied the first of his four rushing scores.
“Darrell set the tone for the entire game,” Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter said. “We saw on film that we could run a wedge up the middle. He almost took that one to the house. He had a monster game. We thought we could run the football on them and we did.”
While Noxubee County scored on its second offensive snap of the game, New Hope scored on its first. Quarterback Brady Davis hit a streaking James Hill over the middle for a 65-yard touchdown pass.
After New Hope grabbed that brief one-point lead, Noxubee scored the half’s next 36 points and led 42-7 at the intermission.
“The holes were so big, I think just anybody could have run through them,” Robinson said. “The offensive line really brought its best game. On just about every snap, I thought I could break one and take it to the end zone. It is good when you have that rhythm going.”
Robinson scored on a five-yard run late in the first quarter to give his team a 14-7 advantage. After a New Hope punt, two tackles broken at the line of scrimmage was all that was needed for a 74-yard scoring dash by Robinson early in the second quarter. An 8-yard scoring run late in the half capped his monster night, which included only two totes in the second half.
“Darrell really stepped it up,” Noxubee County senior quarterback DeAngelo Ballard said. “I could tell in the pregame he was hyped. The kickoff return really got us going. After that the offense was ready. The defense then got a lift after New Hope scored that first touchdown. After that, they were determined not to allow that again.”
Shorter said the Tigers have improved each week. A strong night by the offensive line set the tone for Robinson’s big night. Martive Mitchell, Jonathan Orr, Jercoveie Stewart, Ivan Goodwin and Jared Farmer made sure the Tigers won the battle in the trenches.
“It was the best the offensive line has played since I have been here,” Ballard said.
Noxubee County averaged better than seven yards per rush. The Tigers’ ground game leads the charge while the passing game continues to be a work in progress.
“We aren’t where we need to be in the passing game,” Ballard said. “But we are working hard at it and we will get there. I wasn’t a real good leader for my team last year and that is why this team slipped a little bit. I came back determined to not let that happen again this year. It started in the off-season and at spring practice. I wanted the other guys to know I was a different player and a different leader.”
While Ballard and Robinson made the offense go, the defense was not half bad either. New Hope threw an amazing 65 passes, with six of those being intercepted (one each by six different players). Of the six interceptions, three were returned for touchdowns. Noxubee County also had another potential interception dropped and another possible interception return touchdown brought back by a holding penalty.
“Six interceptions and it could have been eight,” Shorter said. “I can say that is a pretty good night.”
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Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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