After losing to Raby 52-0 last week in the first round of the Public League playoffs — the worst loss in program history — Robeson bounced back in a huge way in Friday’s rematch, rallying for a 26-16 victory in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs at Hanson Stadium.
Robeson (7-3) trailed 16-0 heading into the second quarter, but Darien Williams scored two touchdowns in a five-minute span at the end of the second quarter on 21- and five-yard runs to cut the margin to 16-14 at halftime.
“That was the spark that they needed,” Robeson coach Fabray Collins said. ”We weren’t doing much until that point, but those quick scores kind of jumpstarted us, and from that point on we begin to play Robeson football.”
Quarterback Lamont Barnes scored on a one-yard run with 8:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Robeson closed out the scoring with a five-yard Jahad Roundtree touchdown run with 3:51 remaining in the game.
Roundtree, who doubles as a linebacker, recorded five of Robeson’s seven sacks of Raby quarterback Chris Covington. Roundtree also recorded eight tackles.
“I just read my keys and went all out,” Roundtree said. “It’s not easy living with a 52-0 loss like we had. When we got a second chance to play them in the same season, we knew we had to even the score.”
The Robeson defense held Raby (7-3) to 183 total yards — 126 passing and 57 rushing.
Collins said this is more of what he expected from his team.
“They won Round 1 and we won Round 2,” Collins said. ”I knew they were not 52 points better than us and it feels good to avenge that loss.”
“I tried to tell them all week do not expect the same team that we beat last week to show up,” Raby coach DeAngelo Dareef said. ”That’s the difference between an established program and a team like us who are up and coming.”
