INLAND FIELDHOUSE

Take a closer look at Perris Orange Vista junior Elijah Robinson and you’ll see one of the top dual-threat QBs in CIF-Southern Section.

Robinson (now wearing No. 3) ran circles around the defense and was accurate when he had to be for the Cougars (1-0 overall), who sliced up Valley View in a 38-12 nonleague victory on Thursday, March 25.

The 6-foot-3 quarterback didn’t gain a single yard – he had five carries for exactly zero yards – but he danced around the pocket long enough to get the most out of his protection and find yards downfield.

Robinson may not have gained any yards in the stat book but he did run for a late touchdown and throw for a few more in the win. He put his hand to his ear as he walked the sideline late in the game, one of his admirers yelling, “Best QB in the IE!”

We caught up with Robinson after Orange Vista’s 38-12 victory over Valley View in Week 2-A on Thursday, March 25. Richardson completed 19 of 27 pass attempts for 211 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Coyotes to its first win of 2021.

InlandFieldhouse.com: How’d it feel to finally get back on the field?
Elijah Richardson: “We just tried to be perfect, basically, and execute on the line and receivers, cause we can still make mistakes so I’m glad my linemen did their jobs.”

IF: What are the goals for you and the team in this shortened season?
ER: “Most of our starting receivers are seniors so we want to get them the ball as much as possible so we can get them out of here and off to college, but at the end of the day it’s still a team thing so ‘Coach Zo’ just stresses about being perfect (and) the receivers have been staying after practice to make sure we’re doing everything perfect. Simple stuff like getting the ball to them fast and this week was a wake-up call for us, especially our young linemen.”

IF:  With a young line, how do you approach tough situations?
ER: “You just got to give them energy. Even if they mess us you still got to pick they’re heads up because they have the tendency to put their heads down, so me as a quarterback I have to take leadership there and tell them, ‘You’ll get it next play. Everyone messes up.’ That’s football. Everybody messes up. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time and he messes up, and the best lineman ever probably messed up a time or two.”

IF: Do you want to command an offense at the next level?
ER: “Deion Sanders has said that a lot of dual-threat quarterbacks are dying so I’m trying to be more of a throw-first quarterback because I don’t have the Lamar Jackson speed but I know I have the arm, so just to sling the ball around is just what I do.”