With all due respect to a proud Lovejoy program, Friday night at Westlake, the Wildcats never had a chance.
Inspired by the tragic death this week of their beloved principal Jamar Robinson, and his wife, Ann, the Lions, ranked No. 4 in Class 6A, roared to a 51-0 beat down of a Lovejoy team that had only loss once this season prior to Friday. The win gave Westlake (7-1, 4-0 in Region 4-6A) its seventh consecutive region championship.
“We played like our hair was on fire tonight,” said Lion head coach Bobby May, who decided to forgo his usual Westlake coach’s gear for a gray suit, in honor of Robinson, always nattily dressed. “It didn’t matter who we played tonight. We weren’t going to be stopped.”
Robinson and his wife, Ann, died Sunday while swimming in the ocean behind their hotel room in Puerto Rico. Ann Robinson, a Georgia State University professor, went under water and her husband tried to save her, according to news reports. Initially, the team thought about not playing the game. But the players decided the best way to honor Robinson would be to take the field and dedicate the rest of the season to their beloved principal under the hashtag “#RobinsonStrong.”
And in a performance befitting a former high school and college drum major at Florida A&M University, which Robinson was, Westlake high stepped and strutted all over the Wildcats from start to finish.
The Lions set the tone early by returning the opening kickoff 40 yards to the Lovejoy 45 yard line, and moving to the Wildcat 9-yard line in just two plays. But a negative run and an illegal procedure penalty help thwart the drive, and Grant Roundtree misfired on a 34-yard field goal.
Lovejoy picked up a first down on its initial possession but gained just five yards on the next three downs before punting. This time, taking over on the Wildcat 49-yard line, Westlake cashed in. Two big pass plays to 6-foot-5 wide outs Dacari Collins (19 yards) and Leo Blackburn (23 yards), helped move the ball to the Lovejoy 15-yard line. From there, Zina Mulbah took a handoff up the middle into the end zone, for a 7-0 Lion lead after Roundtree’s extra point kick.
The Lion defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense went back to work. Scrimmaging from its own 27-yard line, Westlake needed just six plays to hit pay dirt again. Quarterback RJ Johnson found Nate Wiggins over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead with just over a minute left in the first quarter.
Lovejoy’s ensuing possession was disastrous. The Wildcats started out in great field position when a facemask penalty on the kick return moved the ball to their 54-yard line. But the Westlake defensive front seven showed its dominance, forcing a two-yard loss on first down, a three-yard loss on a screen pass, and a seven-yard loss on a sack by Jamund Hall on third down. Then on fourth down, the snap for the punt sailed over the punter’s head and into the end zone for a safety and a 16-0 Lion lead.
Westlake drove to the Wildcats' 24-yard line on their ensuing drive, but turned the ball over on downs. But on the third play of Lovejoy’s possession, Lion linebacker Adryan Haye dropped into the flat and intercepted quarterback Stephen Craig’s pass and returned it 30 yards to the Wildcat’s 3-yard line. Two plays later, Mulbah scored his second touchdown of the half on a 2-yard run, kneeling in front of two wreaths at the back of the end zone in honor of the Robinsons.
The Lions scored again just before the half on a 65-yard touchdown pass on a post patter from Johnson to Blackburn, where the Georgia Tech commit wrestled the ball away from the defender and skipped into the end zone for a 30-0 lead at the half.
Westlake kept the hammer down in the second half, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter. First, Mulbah scored his third touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run. Then his backfield mate, Corzavius Smart, darted up the middle, broke two tackles, stiff armed another defender as he cut to the near sideline and sprinted 64 yards for a touchdown – not even slowing down to pull up his pants that were grabbed by a would-be tackler.
Jacorey Stewart put the cherry on top with an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown in the last five minutes of the contest.
“I told them, the community is hurting, and we have an opportunity to put the community on our back,” May said. “We’re obligated to go out and give our best effort because that’s what Mr. Robinson did every time.”
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