Robinson’s Running Lifts Foothill Over Chino, 26-10

TUSTIN —  Tramel Robinson picked a fine time to have one of his best games.

With Robinson running for a season-high 158 yards and a touchdown in 14 carries, Foothill shook off a sluggish first half to beat Chino, 26-10, in the opening round of the Division IV playoffs Friday night at Tustin High.

The victory allows Foothill to advance to next Friday’s quarterfinals, where it will play defending champion and No. 2-seeded Irvine, which beat Chaminade. The game will be a rematch of last year’s semifinals.

Foothill led Chino, 12-10, at the half before Robinson, who ran for 98 yards in the second half, provided the spark it needed to pull away. Robinson’s 25-yard run helped set up Kevin Daft’s four-yard touchdown pass to Jason DeAngelo and a 20-10 lead with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter.

Robinson, a sophomore who topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time, scored on a six-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to cap the victory.

“The line was blocking great and it allowed me to run like I can,” Robinson said. “Everyone came through. Greg Gallegos, Evan Beresford and the whole line. I felt a big challenge to perform.”

Chino (6-4-1) jumped to a 3-0 lead on a 22-yard field goal by Gary Neal on the first play of the second quarter. Foothill rallied and took the lead for good when Daft scored on a one-yard run with 4:14 remaining in the quarter. The Knights scored again when Daft hit Paul King on a screen pass and the 5-foot-8, 145-pound senior raced 27 yards down the sideline, giving Foothill a 12-3 lead with 1:59 remaining in the half.

Foothill gambled with an onside kick, which Chino recovered on its own 44. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Matt Montello hit split end Ken Pierre for a 56-yard touchdown pass, cutting Foothill’s advantage to two at the half.