Xavier Robinson cements his place among Carl Albert Titan legends with title-game performance

Junior running back scores every which way, delivers dominant display against McAlester

By Glen Brockenbush | Photos by Christian Potts 

EDMOND - How do you live up to already sky-high expectations?

You do beyond what is expected and do so on the biggest stage imaginable. In other words, you do what Xavier Robinson did on Saturday afternoon.

Carl Albert’s junior running back had already set the school record for rushing yards in a regular season, and had topped 2,400 rushing yards over the course of the playoffs. The spotlight was firmly going to be on him heading into the Class 5A championship game against McAlester.

And he didn’t disappoint.

Robinson scored every way an offensive player could in the Titans' 49-7 win, with two touchdowns as a ball-carrier, one as a receiver and one as a passer. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior finished with 180 yards on the ground, 22 yards receiving and completed both passes he attempted.

He finishes the 14-game season with 2,598 yards rushing and 39 touchdowns on the ground. And he finishes it as a state champion and instant Titan legend.

“I thought it was pretty easy to block out the outside noise, and right now, I’m just speechless, it’s just a great feeling.” Robinson said. “I was really locked in and hyped for this game, and we made plays where we could get down the field and win.”

Robinson didn’t touch the ball on Carl Albert’s first offensive drive, with the coaching staff wanting “to keep eyes off me for a little bit,” Robinson said.

And with McAlester’s first two possessions eating up all but 1:45 of the first 12 minutes of the game, it wasn’t until the second quarter that the junior even got a carry. And when he did, it was with Carl Albert backed up against its own goal line.

He accounted for 68 yards on the drive, highlighted by a 4-yard gain on fourth-and-4, followed immediately by a 35-yard carry out of the Wildcat formation that set the Titans up inside the 10-yard line of McAlester.

Three plays later, once again from the Wildcat formation, Robinson punched it in for a touchdown, capping a 98-yard drive that seemed to take any prevailing wind the Buffaloes had and sucked it from their sails.

“We had that (Wildcat) planned out after we watched film,” Robinson said. “Once I get the ball, I’m just gonna do my thing, go down the field.”

He would only rush twice more in the first half, but really took over in the second half. He had a hand in all but one of the yards gained by the Titans on the opening drive of the third quarter, throwing a 25-yard pass to Trey Washington to put CA inside the 10-yard line.

Once again, Robinson pounded the ball in from short yardage. While quarterback Reid DeQuasie had himself a day, completing 5-of-6 passes and running for 99 yards, he was grateful to have a player like number 21 by his side on Saturday.

“It’s so dynamic, because then (the defense) can’t account for just me, then they have to watch out for (Robinson),” DeQuasie said. “He sees things very well and then gets himself in place.”

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Robinson caught an 18-yard pass from Kash Ferris for a touchdown, capping a virtuoso performance and helping Carl Albert win its 17th state championship.

“Unreal, threw for one, carried for a couple, caught one,” Titan coach Mike Dunn said. “Just a phenomenal kid, phenomenal player, does everything right, day-in, day-out.”