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Wandale Robinson Will Make College Choice On Nov. 1 To Honor His Cousin’s Memory

Posted at 4:42 AM, Oct 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-09 04:42:52-04
By LARRY VAUGHT

If he put the names of the six colleges he’s considering into a hat and drew out one name, Western Hills standout Wandale Robinson said he could live with the choice.

Lexington Catholic quarterback Beau Allen, left, says Western Hills star Wandale Robinson is the best high school player he’s ever seen play. (Larry Vaught Photo)

“I would probably be okay with that. I have six great choices and obviously feel like I will be taken care of wherever I go and will make an impact early wherever I go,” said Robinson.

He took an official visit to Ohio State over the weekend. He’s also considering Kentucky, Alabama, Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan.

Kentucky’s fast start and climb into the national rankings has made an impression on Robinson, who leads Western Hills in rushing, scoring, total yards and tackles.

“Any time your home state team has started to move up in the rankings, that is obviously an eye-catcher,” Robinson said. “You know you are going to play some big-time games and going to play for a highly ranked team. That is something that intrigues me a lot.

“Also I am obviously looking at where I can make the biggest impact early and where I will be developed into a better player and man.”

Robinson will now make his college choice Nov. 1. He originally planned to make it earlier  but he changed it after the death of his cousin, Shannon Davis, last week.

“That is her birthday and that is when I will make my decision,” Robinson said after his team’s 49-42 loss to Lexington Catholic last week. “We did not expect it (her death) but I will make my decision for her on her birthday.  Every touchdown I scored today was for her.”

He ran for 200 yards and four scores, returned an interception 98 yards for a score, caught four passes for 37 yards, completed four passes for 64 yards, made 14 tackles and forced three fumbles against Catholic.

“This was a fun game. I love these type of games. You obviously don’t like to play in easy games or blowout games if you are a competitor,” he said. “Being able to go back and forth with a team and know it is a dogfight, that is the best type of game.”

His favorite play was the interception.

“I hit him and then I kept tipping it and I eventually caught it and ran for six. That was my favorite play,” Robinson said. “I love defense. I am not being recruited to play defense obviously, but I love playing defense. I do a pretty good job of it, too, I think.”

Catholic junior quarterback Beau Allen, who has nine Division I offers, said Robinson might have been the only player he’s seen that could make a play like that.

“He is a really great player. I think he is the best player I have ever seen play in high school. He’s just unreal,” Allen said.

He said he never considered not playing because of his cousin’s death.

“I knew she would not want me to do that, my family wouldn’t want me to and my teammates wouldn’t want me to do that. I stayed out here and played for her,” Robinson said.

He now has 1,377 yards and 21 touchdowns on 131 carries this year — an average of 10.5 yards per run — and has 16 catches for 365 yards and seven scores. He has two interception returns for scores along with 42 solo tackles, 27 assists and four tackles for loss.

Western Hills (5-2) has games left at Garrard County and at home with Boyle County, the top team in Class AAA, and Harrison County before starting the playoffs one day after Robinson makes his college choice.

“I am just trying to stay level headed. I am not trying to get into the ups and downs of recruiting. I was just waiting until all my visits were out of the way so I can sit down and talk to my family about exactly what is going on. It will be all good and it won’t be long before it will be over,” Robinson said.