The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Manning's Robinson pushes team success as Monarchs' Swiss Army knife

When the Manning football team is in need of a big play, there's typically one player they turn to with the game on the line.

CJ Robinson is a true jack of all trades for the Monarchs. On offense, he's a dynamic receiver who can turn a short gain into a home run. On defense, the senior is a shutdown corner with a knack for shadowing the opponent's best receiver. On special teams, CJ is an absolute weapon, returning kicks for touchdowns so often that most teams avoid kicking to him altogether.

"CJ does a good job of putting in the work," Manning head coach Reggie Kennedy said of his star senior. "He's here pretty much every day getting extra work after practice, and he really wants to be good. I think that has a lot to do with it; you have to want to be good in order to achieve some of the goals he's already achieved for us."

STARTING YOUNG

CJ's journey in sports started at a young age. His dad, Courtney Sr., played football at Scott's Branch and shared his love for the sport with his son.

"Sports were a big part of my family," CJ explained. "My dad, he played football since he was like little, too, so it just followed down to me, and I just want to follow his footsteps."

He was drawn to sports before he could even walk and spent most of his childhood with a desperate desire to be active, no matter the sport.

"Before he even turned one, we got him a ball set," CJ's mother, Shakiyla Baker, said. "It was Christmas and it had all of the balls, football, soccer ball, baseball, basketball. He was always the kind of kid that wanted to go outdoors, so we went and he would just run, throw balls and laugh."

As soon as CJ could dive into rec sports, he caught an itch he could never fully scratch. He started with soccer when he was too young to play recreation football. He played basketball and baseball, always finding ways to stay busy. When CJ was able to hit the gridiron, his dad was there to teach him the fundamentals.

"He just got me better to what I am today. I'd be catching the ball, I'm like 8 years old, and he told me diamond release," CJ said, holding up his hands to form a diamond in the middle, showing where the ball should end up. "The diamond catching and looking it in, then I would just run around and run routes.

"My dad played the same positions I play, wide receiver and DB. He took it hard. His senior year, he messed up his knee. I just want to take after him. I want to follow his dreams; I want to make it to the league."

As CJ got older, his schedule never got lighter. He's a four-sport athlete at Manning. In the fall, he's busy on the gridiron. As football winds down, he'll head inside to the basketball court. In the spring, CJ plays baseball and added track and field to the mix last spring. He's like Manning's Energizer Bunny.

"Sports are just his passion. He's on the go nonstop, and sometimes we have to tell him, 'CJ, you have to get some rest; you have to lay down.' He would leave football practice and go outside with his brothers or meet up with his dad. They still do things after practice. When his heart is in something, he dedicates the time," Shakiyla said. "He goes and he runs hills and gets outside with the running ladder and the cones, so he's still doing skill work at home. Because of his love for it, it just keeps him going. He's always trying to find out what he needs to do to improve, and if he is in the house resting, he's not really resting; now he's online looking at things on YouTube to learn how to run routes better or what he can do to increase his speed. He's always doing something to try to perfect his craft."

SPECIAL SOPHOMORE SEASON

As CJ was making his rise to varsity football as a sophomore, Manning put together their best season in years. After losing their season opener to Crestwood, the Monarchs ripped off 11 consecutive wins, claiming the Region VII-2A title before an impressive postseason run. Manning blew out North Central, with CJ scoring his first postseason touchdown in a 55-0 win. They then survived overtime against Hampton County for a 28-27 victory before beating Philip Simmons to earn a spot in the SCHSL 2A lower state championship.

While the magic ran out in a 37-14 loss to Barnwell one game shy of state, it was an extremely important season for CJ as he learned how to win at the varsity level.

"I think that was a pathfinder for him, that season," Reggie said. "It's been a road map where he saw the benefits of the hard work that those guys did and how it paid off for those guys two years ago. He wanted to live up to them and follow in their footsteps."

That season also gave CJ a chance to work with Jeffery "Snoop" Ceasar. Snoop was the senior CJ would soon need to replace as the wide receiver-turned-defensive back who makes a splash on special teams. Having the chance to practice every day against a player of that caliber jumpstarted CJ's development as an underclassman.

"Snoop was good. Going at it with him at practice and going back and forth, I'm calling him like, 'Hey, you can't guard me,'" CJ recalled. "We're going back and forth every day at practice."

After losing to Barnwell and watching a massive senior class graduate, CJ's drive to improve only increased.

"That really just let him know that these guys are going to be leaving, and now he's going to be coming up on this football team and he has to be more of a leader and make sure he's working hard to maintain his spot on the team and being in the limelight to be able to continue to grow as a student-athlete," Shakiyla said. "It boosted his confidence, it boosted what he was willing to do to be a leader on his team, and he continued to do what he had to do to encourage the other guys."

CONTINUING TO GROW

CJ and the Monarchs put together another impressive season last fall despite playing the first month without their star running back and linebacker, Jontavious Canty. CJ stepped into a leadership role as a sophomore and helped the team claim yet another region title and another high seed in the postseason.

CJ blossomed as a junior, catching 36 passes for 739 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 23 tackles, an interception, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick on defense. That helped push Manning into the third round of the postseason again, though they ran into a buzzsaw against Hampton County, who eventually fell to Strom Thurmond in the 2A state championship game.

"That team last year was good. When Jontavious got hurt, I had to step up and be a leader as a junior," CJ said. "When Jon came back, that made us want to go to the state championship for him because he couldn't play four games."

The key to CJ's leap was his work ethic. He spent his offseason going to camps, working to compete against some of the country's top recruits. He also played 7-on-7 with Ivan Sanders' 803 United, providing another opportunity to work on his fundamentals on both sides of the ball.

Reggie has seen that hard work pay off. On offense, CJ is a natural playmaker the Monarchs try to feed as much as they can despite their run-first offense. So far this season, he's racked up 48 catches for 489 yards and two scores. Manning has also tried to get CJ the ball in the running game, using jet sweeps to get him into the backfield. He has 108 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries this fall.

"Offensively he can separate when he gets the ball in his hands. He's a great route runner. That's one of the things we like about him. We try to get the ball in his hands at least 10 to 12 times a game in some form or fashion. When we look at our offensive production, when we have a good output, he's touching the ball at least 10 times in the game. That forces some people to double-cover him, and that helps us in our running game and our passing game."

On defense, CJ wants all of the smoke. He wants to defend the opponent's best player and usually finds success. So far this fall, he's racked up 52 tackles, four tackles for a loss and has intercepted a pass.

"He wants to play man coverage all of the time. We're a heavy zone team, but every week, wherever the best receiver is, that's where CJ is going to be at. He's always going to get the best every Friday night," Reggie said. "One of the things we do every week is identify who the best wide receiver is and we try to match them up with CJ every Friday, and he steps up to the challenge. With his mentality on defense, saying, 'Hey Coach, I've got it, I can shut them down. Let other guys play zone on the backside and let me play man.' We don't do that always, but that's his mentality. He always wants to play man coverage all of the time, and that's good for us on defense because he accepts the challenge each Friday on their best receiver."

CJ said the secret to his success on defense is build around locking in on one body part.

"DBs know when a wide receiver is going to break because it's all about the hips," CJ said. "I watch hips. Wherever you're going, I'm going with you; if you go the bathroom, I'm coming with you."

The area where CJ has been able to really showcase his talent this season is on special teams. He's rarely kicked to, but he tends to make house calls when teams decide to kick it deep. CJ has five kick return touchdowns this season, and he's averaging 32.5 yards per return. And those returns can flip momentum in a hurry. Manning trailed East Clarendon 16-0 at halftime before CJ returned the opening kick of the third quarter for a touchdown, sparking a 36-30 comeback win.

"Our special teams coordinator, Coach Dontavius Miller, has been here for about 10 or 12 years, and he does a great job of coming up with schemes to get the ball to him on special teams. We try to hide him or move him around at the minute to get the ball in his hands. When he gets the ball in his hands, I'll be honest, he does some stuff we don't coach," Reggie said with a hearty laugh. "I can't take the credit for it because he just has a knack for it. He finds a crease, and once he gets to the open field, he knows how to separate, too."

CJ credits his success on special teams to a combination of vision and experience.

"It's our IQ. We're paying attention to what Coach says. Follow the holes. It's going to open up, but it'll close quick," he said. "Some teams this year, they kept the ball out of my hands. I was surprised EC (East Clarendon) kicked the ball to me; I was surprised Scott's Branch kicked the ball to me, too. But when you start kick returning constantly, they don't want the ball in your hands because they want to stop you. I feel unstoppable when I'm back there."

Being a well-rounded athlete has helped CJ take his game to the next level, too. He helped power the Monarchs' 4x400 team to the 2A state title in the spring, serving as the anchor to the relay team because of his improved speed. He also finished third at state in both the 100m and 200m dashes with times of 10.98 and 21.92, respectively.

"Track helped me out a lot," CJ said. "I was at a 4.5 last year. I started running track and I went to camps at USC and Coastal, and they clocked me at a 4.3. Track helped me running hard, getting out of the blocks, explosiveness."

This fall has been a little more up and down for Manning on the scoreboard. They entered their regular season finale with Marlboro County with a 5-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Region VI-2A. Part of that is due to a more challenging schedule, facing an undefeated Fairfield Central team and a 4A May River squad in non-region play. Their region also had the addition of Dillon and Marlboro County this season. Still, records reset when the playoffs begin, and CJ is confident his team can make a run.

"My focus point is to stay as a unity, as a brotherhood. That's what it starts from; it starts from the locker room and getting everybody together and into it, so we can make our way to a state championship," CJ said. "In the playoffs, we're 0-0. Anybody who steps in front of us, we feel like we'll be able to beat them."

LEADER ON AND OFF THE FIELD

While CJ brings a lot to the team physically, his personality is also a massive boon for the Monarchs. He was selected as a team captain because of the way he carries himself.

"He accepted that role of being a leader," Reggie said. "I think he realized that a lot of our younger guys in the school and in our feeder program really look up to him. When they come to a game, they all want to be around him after the game. He accepted that role, and I think he sees how much of a role model he really is for these kids on and off the field. He leads by example on and off the field. He was named one of our captains this season, and he's doing an exceptional job leading us."

CJ is always quick to flash a big smile and try to offer some encouragement. His magnetic personality is embraced all over Clarendon County.

"He is a social butterfly; he doesn't meet a stranger. He learned early on to hold himself accountable and to be a leader so he can do that for his teammates. He's a loveable kid," Shakiyla said. "When I go to the school, I don't even go by my name; everybody knows me as CJ's mom. He's always smiling, always laughing, he talks to everyone, he shows good sportsmanship win, lose or draw, he's able to go out with those guys and shake hands, talk to some of them outside of the game. He tries to encourage his teammates, sends them messages about locking in and tries to show them that they can do well at football.

"He has a championship mindset, in my opinion. He's just always trying to encourage them and letting them know that they're going to compete every game. He wants to compete with the best of them. He lets them know that we might be in a small town, we might go up against four- or five-star recruits, but none of that fazes him; he just encourages them and lets them know they can be successful, as well."

He also leads by proving that there's more to being a standout high school athlete than thriving on the field.

"My P's and Q's is grades first. My mom will stay on me about my grades because it's student-athlete, not athlete-student," CJ said while sporting a 3.7 GPA.

"He knew early on that his momma wasn't going to play about those grades," Shakiyla added with a laugh. "He knew if he let those grades slip, he wasn't even going to play recreational ball. Early on, he got it together; he's been an honor roll student since junior high school, he's on national technical honor society. He's done very well academically."

TRYING TO FIND A HOME

With his senior football season winding down, CJ's next goal is trying to find a landing spot in college.

"It's been good; I've got a couple of schools looking at me," CJ said of his recruitment. "I've got some more stuff I'm trying to get into, bigger schools or anywhere who can give me a full ride to play ball."

Unfortunately, it's a tough time to be a high school athlete, as the transfer portal is the top priority for so many programs in college football. Many coaches think it's easier to grab a player with college experience, rather than developing high-schoolers.

"The portal messed our high school kids up; it messes up a lot," CJ said. "I feel like there are a lot of dogs in 1A and 2A, but I feel like we get slept on. There are a lot of kids who can play at the next level, but the recruiters want that three-star, four-star, five-star (player), but there are some dogs in 1A and 2A who can ball."

Luckily, CJ has a village of family and community members who are willing to do whatever they can to help him get the attention of college programs.

"Amongst our village, we make sure he gets to camps. We have someone at every one of his games recording him, we're putting him out there on YouTube, doing social media and making sure he's updating his athletic accounts via Twitter and Instagram, we're going on college visits," Shakiyla said. "Those camps have been a big thing for us. He had some good camps this past spring and summer prior to football season starting. It's time-consuming, but it's worth it to try to get him out there."

Reggie just keeps telling his standout senior to keep his head down and keep working, because he's talented enough to thrive at the next level.

"One thing we talk about is that the more we play and the further we go in the playoffs, the more he'll get seen," said the Monarch head coach. "I just feel like with the transfer portal, that kind of cut down the recruitment of the high school kids, but I think he's done enough this season where he'll get an opportunity. He's got a few smaller offers on the table, and I think some bigger and better things will come his way soon.

"I think he just needs an opportunity. Once he gets it, we're going to read about him."

While Shakiyla is lamenting the day her son will move away from the nest, she's extremely proud of the man her son has grown to become.

"I can honestly say that I don't think I'm ready. This week is senior night for football, and I'm trying to get ready for it because I'm excited, but I am also emotional about this because I can't believe this time has come," she said. "I've looked at pictures going back to the first day he got fitted for his pads and helmet in rec. I'm not ready for it because that's my baby, that's my first born, but I'm excited to see what's going to happen with him in the future. We're ready to continue the grind and try to find a college to go to and what we're going to do about football after the season is done.

"Although I'm not ready, I am excited and I'm very, very proud of what he's accomplished so far as my first child, going through the same school system that I went through and graduating from my alma mater. It's bittersweet, but it's more so sweet because I know at some point he's going to leave the nest and he's going to go out there and find himself, but I'm so excited to see what he's going to put out there in the future."