Mountain Crest High School senior Beau Robinson waved his team off the field, urging them to pick up the pace.
Snow swirled around him as he almost bounced among his teammates. The Mustangs’ season, and some of their careers, ended with Orem lining up in victory formation in the state championship game. But Robinson wouldn’t settle for anything less than a sprint as the clock ran out.
“Ever since we were young kids, we’ve been taught to run off the field, never walk on the field,” he said. “No matter what happens, keep your head up. So I wanted everyone to get off the field as fast as they can, run over and shake the team’s hand that won. That’s what they deserve.”
Robinson put up team-leading numbers on both sides of the ball in Friday’s Class 4A title game at Rice-Eccles Stadium Friday, which Orem won 26-0. The halfback led the team in rushing yards (46) and pass receptions (3). He tied fellow linebacker Hunter Schroeder with a team-high three sacks.
“He’s a hard-working sucker,” Mountain Crest coach Jason Lee said. “He never quits, he gives you everything he has every play. That’s why we love him.”
As Robinson as he ran off the field at the end of the game, Lee intercepted him. He pulled Robinson in with seniors Nicholas Nethercott and Cameron Moser, and the four men wrapped their arms around each other.
“I just told them how much I love them, how much I appreciate those guys,” the second-year coach said. “They’ve worked their guts out for two years.”
And then it was over.
Huddled with his team off the southwest corner of the field, Robinson visibly shivered as he absorbed the loss. His bare arms were flushed with pink from the cold, and the wet tape around his wrists had begun to peel off. A hint of a smile crept onto this face.
“I’m surprised I’m not crying right now, to be honest,” he said. “We’re sad, we needed a win, but it’s a ballgame, and it’s going to happen. I’m so thankful that we’re here, that we got to play here, play against a good team, and the team that deserved to win won.”