Robinson’s Smith out for season

Posted Oct 20, 2009 by Adam Adkins

Updated Oct 20, 2009 at 09:00 PM

Robinson may have walked off St. Pete Catholic’s football field last Friday with a big district victory, but it didn’t come without a price.

Knights coach Mike DePue said Tuesday night that junior fullback/defensive lineman Bob Smith suffered a broken left ankle during the game and will miss the remainder of the season.

DePue said Smith underwent surgery on Saturday and will be sidelined from all football activities for at least six weeks. DePue said the prognosis was good as Smith suffered no ligament damage.

While the Knights have some depth along the defensive line that should minimize the loss of Smith, the same can’t be said on offense. Not only was Smith (6-foot-1 and 235 pounds) the Knights’ lead blocker, he also was an accomplished ball carrier. Smith was averaging 5.71 yards per carry this season, was tied for second on the team with 160 rushing yards and was tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.

“It hurts because Bob was really playing well and he’s such a big kid,” DePue said.

DePue said freshman Chequille ‘Ox’ Williams will step into Smith’s starting fullback role. Williams, nicknamed ‘Ox’ because he moved to Tampa from Oxford, Miss., prior to the start of the season, moved up from the junior varsity squad about three weeks ago and has played well, according to DePue.