Most plays that get negated due to penalty float away the moment the flag is picked up. Others still find a way to show up in the box score.
On the Robinson Rams' first play from scrimmage this year, senior running back Jared Velasquez took a handoff from senior quarterback Mike LoPresti 42 yards to the end zone. The play was called back for holding, but it foreshadowed the long night ahead for Robinson's opponent, the TC Williams Titans.
A quick-strike Rams offense and ball-hawking defense led the way, as the team opened the season in dominant fashion with a 35-2 victory over the Titans.
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Defense led to offense early in the game for Robinson. Williams senior quarterback fumbled a snap, leading to the Titans' first turnover of the night. On the very next play, senior running back Kambulu Musokotwane scored his first touchdown of the season, giving the Rams a lead they would never surrender.
The Titans fumbled again on the ensuing possession, this one recovered by Ethan Steen of Robinson. By time the quarter was over, the Rams had a 13-0 lead.
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TC Williams couldn't keep Muskotowane out of the end zone for long, as his nine-yard touchdown run gave Robinson a 19-0 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
Former offensive line coach Tom Hertz was impressed with the Rams defense early in the first half. Hertz, a former offensive lineman at the University of Missouri himself, knows a good Robinson team when he sees one. His first year on the staff was 1997, the year they won the Virginia State Championship.
"The team looks great this year," Hertz said. "The offensive line looks good and I'm excited for this season."
With just one minute to go before halftime, LoPresti dropped back in the pocket, double clutched, and then threw a perfect spiral 30 yards to junior Patrick Baker.
Just when it couldn't get any worse for the Titans, it did. With seconds left in the first half, they set up for a field goal attempt. Senior Patrick Miller rushed through the line and blocked it, and Steen recovered his second fumble of the night, taking this one 85 yards to the house. The Rams ended the first half with a 29-0 lead.
The weather was much cooler the second half and the Rams took advantage of it. After scoring early in the third quarter giving them a 35-0 lead, the Rams played fundamental football and secured the victory.
After the game, coach Mark Bendorf congratulated the team during its post-game huddle.
"Its always nice to start the season 1-0," Bendorf said. "Credit the guys up front and Mike [LoPresti] for calling some great plays at the line of scrimmage." With the win today, the perennial powerhouse Robinson Rams proved they are a team that can compete with the best.
The Rams' next game is Saturday Sept. 11 against the Fairfax Rebels at 7:30pm.
