As Nature Coast Technical spends this spring and summer preparing for the next football season, the spotlight figures to shine brighest on running back DeShawn Smith.
Yet the Sharks are not a one-man show. On the defensive side, middle linebacker Matthew Robinson has already shown that he merits some attention.
As a sophomore last year he recorded 113 tackles, second in the county only to the soon-to-graduate Conor Ross of Springstead.
He also had three sacks, caused two fumbles and recovered one, proving that he could get the job done in spite of his 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame.
However, he’s hardly patting himself on the back nor standing pat on his prior success.
“I could have played better. I could have read my keys better. All that stuff I’ve got to change for the upcoming season,” Robinson said. “I just played ball the best that I could.”
Robinson saw varsity action as a freshman, appearing in all 10 games as a receiver. He had one catch for zero yards, and lost a brief starting gig due to too many drops.
Though he had played linebacker in middle school, he wasn’t used there initially due to being undersized.
That changed last season with Justin Worden taking over as head coach, and as the numbers showed the switch paid dividends.
“I could hit. Defense just comes naturally to me, I think,” Robinson said. “I play with what I got. I know I can’t take plays off during games. I’ve got to go full speed all the time because of my weight. I can’t play around.”
To that end, he’s attempting to put on more bulk, something he feels is essential to increasing his chances of playing in college.
In the meantime, the Sharks need both his production and presence to build off last year’s 6-4 mark.
“After last year, he’s got a good feel for what we’re looking for,” Worden said. “He’s got a good motor, high intensity. He’s getting to where he kind of calls things out and can be a leader for us there.”
That leadership shows in his words. His goals for the 2015 are exclusively team-oriented.
When Nature Coast hosts Palm Harbor University in a spring classic on May 22 at 7 p.m., it’ll represent the first chance to move past the disappointing conclusion of last season.
The Sharks, having last made the playoffs in 2009 and never having won a postseason contest, couldn’t survive a three-way tiebreaker with Pasco and Zephyrhills that decided the district runner-up spot.
Robinson wants to help ensure this year’s team doesn’t endure the same fate.
“Make it to the playoffs,” Robinson said of the team goals. “Make it to the playoffs. Beat everyone in our county.”
