Day 10: Robinson Wins With Tradition
Robinson coach Mark Bendorf, whose record consists of three region titles and two state championships, sticks with his principals no matter what the circumstances might be...
Photo By: Derek LeComte/ Gameday Magazine
BURKE, VA -- When it comes to tough schedules, no team has one that is tougher than Robinson's. And it's not even close.
In addition to playing in the ultra-competitive Concorde District, the Rams' non-district schedule includes dates against Lake Braddock, West Springfield and Stone Bridge. That's enough to give any coach a lot of sleepless nights, but if there was anyone equipped to handle that challenge, it's Mark Bendorf.
He's helped to single-handily build up this Robinson program into a powerhouse that's won three region titles and two state championships, and despite going 6-6 last year, he's still the same old Mark Bendorf this area has come to know so well.
At camp yesterday, there were no new gimmicky offensive schemes or a new-age style of coaching, but rather pure and genuine Robinson football, the kind that has become a staple throughout Northern Virginia.
There were the same big, strong linemen, the crafty wing offensive scheme, but more importantly, there was discipline.
More so than any other coach we've seen so far, Bendorf cares for getting things right, no matter how tedious or repetitious things get. Constantly throughout practice he would have the scout teams repeat themselves until the first-teamers got it right. Now, we've seen that at all practices we've been to so far, but at Robinson, they do it more than any other school we've been to.
But aside from the same old particulars in which we've come to expect from every Robinson team, what was most interesting to watch was the development of their backs. Every single starter for Robinson in their backfield is either a two or three year starter, so we've come to know them quite well over the years. So it was interesting to note just how much they've progressed, namely Wynton Fox.
Fox is two-year starter, but under Bendorf's offense, he was splitting carries with three other backs. He'll still do the same this year, but from what we saw yesterday, he has to be considered their go-to guy. He's easily the most improved player on this team from a year ago and should easily rack up plenty of yards for the season.
And it's not that he'll have a ton of yards because he's their featured back, but because of his improved footwork. He's a little small at 5-foot-9, but his cuts are unbelievable. He reads the kickout blocks and scheme as good as any other back in the area, and when given just a sliver of daylight or a good block, it's six points for Robinson.
What caught our attention also was the improved presence of a passing game. There now appears to be a solid stable of four receivers rotating in and out. Xavier Duncan, a returning starter, had the most reps with the first team, but there are several who we noticed that are more than capable of getting the job done.
A lot of that also has to do in part with Timmy Meier. A three-year starter and much in the same way as Fox, his improved overall athleticism really caught our attention. He may not be a true dual-threat quarterback, but he demonstrated that he can be very effective in escaping pressure. He's got a real nice over the top delivery which results in a tight spiral, but really enables him to throw the deep ball with accuracy.
Yet make no doubt about it, the strength of this team's offense is with the run game. With Alex Murray, Wynton Fox and CJ Nee all returning, they'll be the biggest threats an opposing defense will have to deal with.
Defensively, as we mentioned before, discipline carries this unit. They're not stacked with the athletic specimens like we've seen at other camps, but they can flat-out get the job done. They never allowed any receivers to get separation and it wasn't until later in practice where they were fooled with either the play-action or gadget-type plays.
Headlining the defense is Brian Laiti, an expected big-time prospect, who at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, is their biggest impact player. He's big, strong, fast and can hit, which is what makes him so scary. Like the rest of the defense, he does an excellent job of reading the play. Really did a great job of holding his ground on the screens, waggles or bootlegs.
Then again, that just seems to be expected out of every Robinson player at this point. They're run more as a machine than anything else as every player is streamlined and assimilated into a singular way of thought. It's brought them a disciplined style in which they can pride themselves upon, and by judging at history, it obviously works.
It's in fact nearly impossible to walk away with the impression of this team having just one or two playmakers. Instead, you really do get the notion that this is one of those teams that lives and dies as a unit more so than anyone else.
