El Camino’s Robinson Opts for Weber State

On a day when most high school football players were relieved and elated, El Camino running back Von Robinson was heartbroken and bewildered.

Although Robinson signed a letter of intent to play football for Weber State, the Division I-AA college in Ogden, Utah, wasn’t exactly what he had in mind three months ago.

UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Cal expressed interest in Robinson during the summer and fall. Cal even gave him a trip.

But when national letter-of-intent day came Wednesday, only Weber State offered Robinson a scholarship.

“Earlier in the year, I thought I’d go to UCLA,” said Robinson, who ran for 1,111 yards and 16 touchdowns last year. “That was hard on me because I had my heart set on them.”

Testing was not a factor in colleges losing their interest--he scored an 850 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test--but El Camino Coach Herb Meyer said Robinson’s lack of speed might have been.

Robinson would have settled for Cal, but he never received another phone call from the coaching staff after his visit to Berkeley.

“I just have to make the best of it,” said Robinson, a 6-foot, 195-pounder. “I just want to show my talent and start as a freshman. I want the other colleges to see what they passed up.”

Rancho Buena Vista’s Markeith Ross, the county’s all-time leading rusher with 5,285 yards, was passed over Wednesday. Test scores were the problem. Ross took the American College Test (ACT) and did not score high. He took the SAT only last week and will not receive the results until later this month.

RBV Coach Craig Bell said Alabama and Oklahoma have continued to show interest in Ross, despite his testing difficulties.

Of the local players who were offered scholarships, the majority signed with San Diego State or Pac-10 schools. The Aztecs landed 12 local players--the second most ever. Eight others signed with Pac-10 schools.

Four of the eight will be playing at UCLA--Morse defensive backs Teddy Lawrence and Tommy Bennett, Helix defensive lineman Gary Walton and Chula Vista linebacker Donnie Edwards.

“We recruited four and we got four,” Coach Terry Donahue said. “I don’t remember us ever getting four kids from San Diego.

Lawrence, the most widely sought-after recruit in San Diego, was an option quarterback at Morse, but he will play cornerback at UCLA.

“We had Teddy rated as the No. 1 corner in California,” Donahue said. “He can also return punts and kickoffs, so you’re really getting two players in one.”

Bennett was not a big name before the season, but at the end he was getting looks from almost every West Coast college. He intercepted seven passes as a safety and caught five touchdown passes in Morse’s run-oriented offense. Tom Lemming’s recruiting service rated Bennett as the 24th best prospect in the West.

“He’s a good physical player and a really bright guy,” Donahue said. “We didn’t know much about him, but he came on and had a big senior year.”

Edwards, 6-0, 210, recorded 75 unassisted tackles and intercepted five passes as a linebacker. He was being recruited very hard by SDSU and did not make up his mind until Monday.

“On film, we thought he was one of the premier linebackers in the state,” Donahue said. “He can be a very good inside linebacker for us. We need one that can run and move laterally.”

Donahue said Walton, who was recruited by Arizona, will play defensive end for the Bruins. “We made a decision at our summer camp to recruit him,” Donahue said. “He’s a real fine athlete, and he will fill out once he gets done playing basketball.”

Arizona missed out on Walton, but not on his teammate, Brandon Sanders.

Although Sanders played cornerback at Helix, he will play safety for Arizona--thus becoming the fourth Highlander to play safety for Arizona. The other three--Allan Durden, Chuck Cecil and Jeff Hammerschmidt--were selected first team Pac-10.

“If Brandon’s anything like the others, we’re going to be thrilled,” Coach Dick Tomey said. “In some ways, we feel Brandon’s ahead of the other guys.”

The other local players to sign with Pac-10 schools were offensive lineman--La Jolla’s John Michels with USC, Point Loma’s James Witkowski with Washington State and Poway’s Eric Reid with Oregon.

Mt. Carmel quarterback Matt Miller was recruited by some Pac-10 schools, but chose Texas A&M.;

COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SIGNINGS

Player School Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Matt Miller Mt. Carmel QB 6-2 190 Von Robinson El Camino RB 5-11 245 Eric Reid Poway C 6-5 285 David Walker Mira Mesa OL 6-3 255 Matt Sailors Rancho Buena Vista LB 6-2 220 Mike Murray Ramona C 6-2 280 Jason Emerick Ramona OG 6-5 285 Ted Johnson Carlsbad LB 6-4 1/2 230 J.J. Wadas Crawford K 5-8 160 Donnie Edwards Chula Vista LB 6-2 210 Steve Gomez Chula Vista RB 5-11 210 Neviett Richardson Chula Vista HB 5-9 170 David Garcia Bonita Vista OL 6-4 252 Alex Estrada Bonita Vista OL 6-0 290 Greg Flagstad Castle Park LB 6-0 200 Tom Smith Ramona DL 6-2 240 Teddy Lawrence Morse DB 5-9 185 Tommy Bennett Morsel DB 6-1 185 John Moe Morse OL 6-2 270 Garrett Sand University City RB 6-2 225 John Michels La Jolla OL 6-5 230 Gary Walton Helix DL 6-4 240 James Witkowski Pt. Loma OL 6-4 265 Brandon Sanders Helix DB 5-10 165 Robbie Edwards Mira Mesa RB 6-1 195

Player College Matt Miller Texas A&M; Von Robinson Weber State Eric Reid Oregon David Walker Naval Academy Matt Sailors Brigham Young Mike Murray Cal State Long Beach Jason Emerick Utah Ted Johnson Colorado J.J. Wadas Air Force Academy Donnie Edwards UCLA Steve Gomez Southwestern Neviett Richardson Southwestern David Garcia Southwestern Alex Estrada Southwestern Greg Flagstad Southwestern Tom Smith Weber St. Teddy Lawrence UCLA Tommy Bennett UCLA John Moe Naval Academy Garrett Sand Colorado State John Michels USC Gary Walton UCLA James Witkowski Washington State Brandon Sanders Arizona Robbie Edwards Naval Academy