Righetti senior Ehi Robinson is playing football for the first time this year—but you wouldn’t think that was the case from watching him play.
Ehi (pronounced Ae-he) says he got into football from soccer after his friends said he would be good at it. Turns out they were right. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound corner and kick returner has the most tackles at corner and already has a couple of 55-yard returns under his belt.
So what does he like better: soccer, track, or football?
“It goes hand in hand. I’ve come to love football,” he said. “It’s a different atmosphere, but in soccer we run a lot and make plays, just like football. What I love about both of them is the team mentality. It’s not just one individual.”
His confidence in his new sport doesn’t mean he always felt that way, however.
“I was nervous my first game, worried about the hitting,” he said. “But then I got my first hit of the game, and it wasn’t even that bad. I thought, ‘I have pads on, so I might as well go all out.’”
Robinson said that his coaches and teammates are what the game is all about: “With the team, I just appreciate my teammates. We push each other a lot. And the coaches, they want us to work harder. They know that later on it will help us in life. They make sure we’re doing good in our classes. Besides football, you have to have your education.”
What about rivalries?
“We have some rivalry with Pioneer Valley, but our main rival would be Atascadero. They are physical. They work really hard. It was unfortunate we lost 14-19,” he said of a recent game. “We just got the short end of the stick. They’re well coached.”
Speaking of rivalries, Robinson and his teammates are looking ahead to a do-or-die game against Arroyo Grande. If they win, they’re in the playoffs.
This article appears in Nov 13-20, 2008.