Controversial Call Ends Season and Career of Robinson and Coach Mike DePue
By Hanna Yi
In what seemed to be a storybook ending for the career of Robinson head coach Mike DePue, his team met their unfortunate fate at an all too familiar place for DePue. On the sidelines watching was a former player of DePue’s, Ruben Gonzalez (currently at USF) who had experienced just a couple years ago what the seniors were about to feel at the end of this game, losing in the state semifinal game their senior year. Gonzalez had the sentiments that a lot of the Robinson community had, let’s send Coach out with a State Championship! If anyone deserves it, he does!
Robinson started off the game with a bang and seemed to had all of the momentum in the first half as they held Godby to under 100 yards. Robinson went in quick and scored a field goal within the first three minutes of play. Godby’s defense tried to force Robinson to throw the ball and when Zain Gilmore finally did his first pass attempt was picked off. Godby was able to finally get onto the board with a little less than 10 minutes left in the first half, a 5-yard touchdown run by RB Tim Longmeyer, to give them the lead, 7-3. Robinson went out and retaliated, bringing the ball down the field and Gilmore making a 1-yard touchdown run to bring the Knights up 10-7 with a little more than 7 minutes left in the half. Both teams then try to get within scoring range but were not able until the Knights scored with 15 seconds left in the half on a 2-yard touchdown run by Carlos Duclos.
During halftime, I was able to scope out some of the crowd. Not only were there coaches from all over Hillsborough County there supporting Coach DePue and Robinson, including Plant Coach Weiner, Armwood Coach Callahan, former Jefferson Coach Fenton, TBT Coach Roberts, and many more from Jesuit, Plant, TBT, TC, Freedom , and other schools. There were also coaches from many colleges there scouting and checking out the talent from both teams.
I’m not sure what those Godby coaches said to their players at halftime, but I’m sure it was a butt chewing because when the second half started the momentum seemed to have moved from the Knights sideline to the Cougars sideline. The Cougars came into the second half with a bang, picking up yards right away via the pass. On a short 4th and one, the Cougars took a time-out and decided to go for it. Not only did they pick up the yard they needed they picked up a touchdown making the score 17-14 Robinson. On the next possession, the Knights fumbled and the Cougars recovered and then seem to make a great run play right after, showing the momentum shift not only on the field, but also on the sidelines and in the stands. After the Knights turnover and the Cougars recovery of the fumble, the Cougars were able to make good of their defensive play and score another touchdown, putting them in the lead for the remainder of the game 21-17. Next, Robinson was able to get within scoring distance, but Godby was able to hold them to a field goal instead of a touchdown, making the score 21-20 at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was full of lots of running from Godby, trying to run the clock out, including a Cougars field goal, sealing the Knights’ fate and forcing the Knights to have to make a touchdown in order to win and making the score 24-20. The Knights, unfortunately, weren’t able to make that happen. However, it wouldn’t be a state semi-final game without a controversial ending, correct? In what seemed to be a first down deep into Godby territory with 2 seconds left on the clock for the Knights, the officials ran the time off the clock and would not even stop the clock to measure the distance, giving the Godby Cougars the win and the trip to the Citrus Bowl for the 5A State Championship Game that all hoped Coach DePue and the Knights would be traveling to thus ending the season at 12-2 for the Robinson Knights.