Titans roll Bombers in Mid-Del clash

By Jacob Sturm
Midwest City Beacon

Xavier Robinson became increasingly acquainted with the black-turfed end zone at Jim Darnell Stadium in Midwest City on Friday evening.

In Carl Albert’s 40-13 dominant win against rivals Midwest City, the Carl Albert star running back capitalized on short yardage scenarios on most drives of the game on route to a three-touchdown opening half and a four-touchdown game in full.

Robinson also tallied a season-high 162 rushing yards in the matchup, adding to his stellar start to the season. For Carl Albert (2-0), the running game was a point of emphasis in short yard scenarios, and with a dual threat ability of quarterback Kevin Sperry Jr, Robinson was able to shine.

Perhaps at no time did it shine brighter than on the second play of the second half, when Robinson made a sharp cut and broke two tackles in a 78-yard sprint to the end zone to make the score 33-0 Titans in what would be the longest play from scrimmage.

Mike Dunn, Carl Albert’s football coach, touched on Robinson’s performance, and how the game plan played into Carl Albert’s skilled players hands.

“Those 4-to-5-yard carries in the first half, they end up being 50, 60 and 70 yard carries in the second half,” Dunn said. “And Xavier’s a guy that’ll get out in front and he’ll block, too. He’s a very selfless guy, and his stats they’re always big, but he’s always selfless. He’s not afraid to share the limelight… He just keeps getting better and better in all the other small little details. The sky’s the limit again for him.”

Robinson identified the cause for the early season success put on display against the Bombers on Friday.

“Up front, I love my guys,” Robinson said. “Being with them from last year, having the same guys up front, to be able to have that experience and know what they’re doing and open the gaps for me, it’s really impressive.”

As for Midwest City (0-1), the Bombers couldn’t get out of their own way. Midwest City turned it over five times in the first half on special teams, and faced poor field position most of the night.

The Carl Albert defense maintained that pressure and made Midwest City work for the yards they earned.

Dunn said the defensive group continues to grow and play with an immense amount of effort.

“When our ones were in the game we didn’t give up a score,” Dunn said. “…(I’m) very proud of our effort on the defensive side of the ball. Guys were flying around. Guys were making big plays. We had some big fourth down stops and kept them behind the sticks quite a bit I felt like with our ones and got them in some longer down and distances. (I’m) really proud of our defensive effort.”

Carl Albert will next be in action at Muskogee on Friday.