Robinson’s Heroics Extend Beyond Football
Josh Robinson’s dramatic two-point conversion couldn’t save a state title for Colfax. But Robinson’s a lifesaver nonetheless.
It happened prior to the playoffs when Robinson came to the aid of choking teammate Carey Kirkpatrick.
A few Bulldogs teammates had gathered at Robinson’s home for an evening of entertainment.
Kirkpatrick aspirated a piece of chewing gum into his lungs.
“We were having a pillow fight in the dark,” Robinson recalled. “We turned on the lights and Carey was not in the room.”
When they found him his lips had turned blue and he couldn’t breathe.
“His girlfriend said, ‘He’s choking, he’s choking,’ and tossed him over to me,” said Robinson. “I performed the Heimlich Maneuver about 20 times and he coughed it up.”
Kirkpatrick, the Bulldogs’ backup quarterback, watched as the team rallied for a 20-19 lead with 1:52 remaining on Robinson’s extra-points burst. Two plays and 26 seconds later, Lynden Christian was at Colfax’s 5-yard-line, then hit a winning field goal as time expired.
It’s been that kind of year for star-crossed Colfax. The team was forced to deal with one type of adversity after another.
Robinson’s brother Jeremy, a senior, watched from the stands, unable to play sports because of a rare hip condition that required three surgeries and radiation treatments to correct recurring non-cancerous tumors.
“I’d give anything to be out there, but they won’t let me because of liability,” Jeremy said. “It’s been something missing ever since I’ve been in high school.”
Instead, he contented himself cheering for his brother, who did his best to help Colfax, even though a state title dream went unfulfilled.
It ain’t over till it’s over
Two fast-starting teams at Gridiron Classic paid dearly for it in the end.
Both Lakes and Elma spotted their opponents large halftime leads before overhauling them.
The Lancers trailed Ferndale 17-0 at halftime, then rallied for a 21-17 win that capped an unbeaten 3A season. Elma did them one better, rallying from a 22-point deficit to win a 37-34 shootout over Pullman.
In the first instance, finesse won out over power. The tables were turned in the second game.
Elma coaches were worried about Pullman’s speed, with good reason. The Greyhounds utilized it to compile 343 yards of offense and a 28-6 halftime lead.
Cole Sheridan, a state-qualifying sprinter, seemed to materialize out of nowhere and hauled in a 57-yard touchdown pass, one of three first-half catches for 108 yards. His 90-yard kickoff return temporarily stemmed the tide after Elma rallied from a 22-point halftime deficit to trail by a touchdown.
Pullman water bugs Nate Brown and Aaron Linehan gave Elma fits, skittering around and through the bigger Eagles on runs or after pass receptions.
Then Elma’s power simply wore down the quicker Greyhounds, often breaking four and more tackles to sustain second-half drives.
Quarterback Ben Dougherty, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, had passed for 3,142 yards and 39 touchdowns during the year. Held to 86 first-half yards on 9-of-19 passing, he finished 22 of 38 for 242 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 91 more.
Like Lakes, the Greyhounds were at the 45-yard line in the game’s waning minute. Unlike Lakes, which scored on third-and-15, Linehan’s pass on fourth-and-18 was short.
Pullman’s hot start, like Ferndale’s, was left wanting.
Local officials in Classic
Inland Empire Association officials from Spokane who worked Gridiron Classic games included Scott Cordell in the 3A championship, Chuck Sloppy in the 2A title game and Jerry Skogstad in the B-11 contest.
, DataTimes