An unbeaten season is alive and well for
Mesquite after back-to-back wins over chief rivals the last two weeks.
The Skeeters are 8-0 (4-0 in District 12-5A). The last season Mesquite reached the eight-win plateau was 2001 when it went 15-0 and won the Class 5A Division I state title.
Robbie Robinson, Mesquite
Courtesy photo
For his part in leading Mesquite's impressive 2012 charge, Robbie Robinson was selected as the Dallas area Coach of the Week presented by Comerica Bank.
"It's been a great ride so far,'' said Robinson, coming off a 56-10 rout of rival North Mesquite on Friday. "What makes it more special is how far we've come to get to this point.''
Don't look for Robinson and a corps of seniors to let success go to their heads.
It was only two seasons ago, in 2010, that Mesquite suffered through a second consecutive 1-9 season, going 0-5 in district play. A hard-boiled group of present-day seniors remembers first hand.
That season Robinson promoted his top sophomores to the varsity for a very simple reason.
"They were the best players we had,'' Robinson said. "We had to bring them up. We took some lumps, but also learned some valuable lessons.''
Somewhat overlooked was another encouraging sign in 2010. Even with the promotion of elite players in the 2013 class, the other sophomores that remained on the junior varsity produced a district championship.
"We knew we had a special class,'' Robinson said.
Mesquite took many by surprise in 2011 by going three rounds deep in the Class 5A Division I playoff bracket. Along the way, Mesquite knocked out Belton and Garland before elimination at the hands of The Woodlands. Not a bad run for a team that finished fourth in a talent-laden District 11-5A.
Last season's 7-6 record proved a springboard to this fall. But the Skeeters knew North Mesquite wouldn't be impressed going into the annual showdown.
The Mesquite-North Mesquite game is the oldest rivalry in the city. By winning, Mesquite saw its series advantage grow to 23-19-1.
Mesquite senior quarterback
Alex Cooper threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a pair of scores. The Skeeters' defense allowed 2-5 North Mesquite only 145 yards and intercepted two passes.
Mesquite was coming off a 56-41 victory over Horn, the other Class 5A Mesquite school.
"We had the disadvantage of playing our two biggest rivals in consecutive weeks,'' said Robinson. "North Mesquite is still probably our biggest rival because of the history, but Horn is a big rival, too.''
Mesquite's smallest margin of victory so far is 14 points, coming in a 34-20 victory over 6-1 Bowie (Arlington) in the second game of the season and in a 49-35 win over 3-4 Plano West in the fourth game.
The Skeeters have gotten superb play from Cooper, who has a 76 percent completion rate while throwing for 2,374 yards and 17 touchdowns thus far.
"Alex is a basketball player too,'' said Robinson. "He hasn't gotten a lot of football recruiting attention. I'm surprised the scouts aren't all over him, the way he is playing.''
Rashard Higgins is Cooper's top target with 54 catches for 942 yards and six touchdowns.
The only Mesquite player so far with a college commitment, defensive back
Anthony Canady (Rice), is close to coming back but remains out with a broken leg he suffered at the 7-on-7 state football tournament in July.
Robinson said the most pleasant surprise so far is the way linemen on both sides of the ball have stepped up and played well.
Robinson is a Mesquite High alum and settled in as a defensive assistant coach from 1989 until 2008 when he was tabbed for the head coaching position. The University of Texas graduate had a high school assistant coaching stop at Plano East and a stint as strength coach in the Jim Wacker regime at TCU before returning to Mesquite.
On Friday, Robinson and the Skeeters continue their drive for the District 12-5A crown with a home game against 1-6 Lee (Tyler).
Said Robinson: "I'm very blessed to work with a great group of coaches on this staff as well as a group of kids that love to play hard.''
