 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Royal Knight signs with Virginia schoolBy JAMAL THALJI © St. Petersburg Times, published May 13, 2001 NEW PORT RICHEY -- The University of Virginia-College at Wise signed the county's offensive player of the year in March. Now the Highland Cavaliers have landed one of its top defensive players as well. River Ridge linebacker Chris Robinson, the Sunshine Athletic Conference defender of the year, has accepted a full scholarship to play for the Division II school where he will team with Land O'Lakes tailback and two-time conference offensive player of the year Godfrey Pestana. "It feels awesome," Robinson said. "I've always wanted to play college football since I was 6. "It's just crazy the way it happened." That's because Robinson had just returned from a recruiting trip to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., and was about to sign the scholarship papers when he got a call from Highland Cavaliers coach Bill Ramseyer: Why hadn't Robinson sent him a tape? Robinson remembers corresponding with the team, but the coaches never asked for a tape. So he sent it. "He fell in love with my tape," Robinson said. "He said all the coaches were watching it over and over." That tape was filled with the bone-jarring tackles that made Robinson one of the county's most feared defensive players. He led Pasco County with 59 tackles and 59 assists in nine games. He also had an interception, recovered a fumble and returned kicks. Royal Knights coach Mike DeGennaro said that in Robinson -- who was a first-team selection at linebacker to the Times All-County squad -- Wise is getting one of the program's best players ever. "They're getting a very intense player, a very smart player, a very coachable player who's always going full speed," DeGennaro said. "He was our defensive leader, but really he was the heart of our team. He was a captain, the kids looked up to him. "Whenever we needed a big play, they were looking for him to make the big play." All that was left was for Robinson to make a recruiting trip. When he visited the Virginia campus, he said: "I fell in love with it."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times |
