Inside Livermore RB Kamarri Robinson's NCS-record 534-yard, five TD performance
Livermore football coach John Wade approached Kamarri Robinson following his team's wild, back-and-forth 45-34 home win over Dublin Friday night and told him he was proud.
Wade knew Robinson's performance was special, capped with a 90-yard touchdown jaunt to clinch the victory in the final three minutes.
"I asked him how he was feeling," Wade said. "He wasn't boasting or asking how many yards he had. He just said he was tired and wanted to get home to get some rest. He was just happy and excited we won."
If Robinson was tired, how about Dublin's poor secondary.
Kamarri Robinson was often looking behind him in Friday's 45-34 win over Dublin.
Photo: Doug Jorgensen/Livermore Independent
The 5-foot-8, 175-pound junior had just rushed for a North Coast Section 534 yards and five touchdowns. It took him just 29 carries (18.4 average) to get more than halfway to 1,000 yards.
"It was pretty crazy," Wade said. "It was great because it was a really good game, back and forth. All his yards meant something."
Robinson's mark is the fifth best single-game rushing mark in state history, according to records kept by Cal-Hi Sports, and breaks the North Coast Section mark of 473 set by Jason Hinton of Moreau Catholic-Haywards set in 2013 during a 65-50 loss to Piedmont.
Dallas Bernstine of Bethel-Vallejo, rushed for 555 yards in a 59-38 win over Vintage-Napa in 2021. Bethel is now a member of the NCS but in 2001 it was in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
The state record is 619 set in 1995 by Ronny Jenkins of Hueneme-Oxnard, followed by Eric Melesion (Norte Vista, 563 in 2016), Bernstine and Nathan Lancaster (Laguna Beach, 547 in 2013).
Robinson, who doesn't boast a recruiting ranking yet, broke the school rushing record twice earlier this season with 317 in a 28-7 win over Castro Valley on Sept. 1 and 355 in a 30-28 victory over Foothill-Pleasanton on Sept. 29.
Kamarri Robinson left a trail of would-be tacklers behind during Friday's 45-34 Homecoming win over Dublin.
Photo: Doug Jorgensen/Livermore Independent
On Friday, he carried 13 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns before halftime. The second half Robinson went for 355 yards on 16 carries. Besides his 90-yard run, he had jaunts of 73, 55, 42 and 41 yards.
Wade knows because he went home to chart it all.
"I knew it was a special night," Wade said. "I was thinking more in the 400-yard range. But 534? That's a wow."
Robinson was called up to varsity as a sophomore, but with two strong running backs, played mainly as a safety. As the team's go-to back, he rarely plays defense this season.
Wade said that Robinson isn't a burner, but he can change direction at top-end speed, which causes second- and third-level defenders to flat out whiff. Robinson also possesses excellent vision, according to Wade.
The 31-year coach, in his fifth year at Livermore after successful stops at Miramonte-Orinda and Dublin, said he's starting to get calls from college coaches on Robinson, "but I expect to get a lot more after performances like tonight. He's planning on running track in the spring to get even faster."
Wade described Robinson's personality as "quiet and unassuming but really funny. Not like a clown kind of funny, but once he gets to know you and comes out of his shell, you found out he's got a great sense of humor. He's just a nice, unassuming kid and great teammate to be around."
The victory upped Livermore's record to 4-4 and 1-1 in East Bay Athletic League Valley Division. With two more victories, Friday at Dougherty Valley-San Ramon and at home against rival Granada-Livermore, the Cowboys will likely make the playoffs.
Livermore has made the playoffs each season since Wade arrived in 2019 (there were no playoffs in the abbreviated 2021 spring pandemic season when the Cowboys went 5-1). Before Wade arrived, Livermore hadn't had a winning season since before 2004.
Kamarri Robinson (5) is both fast, elusive and able to change direction at top speed.
Photo: Doug Jorgensen/Livermore Independent
"We have a very young team so we really weren't thinking about the playoffs," Wade said.
With the emergence of Robinson this is turning into a special season.
Wade, who also coaches Livermore's first-year girls flag football team, said he's only had time to track four of eight games statistically. In those four, Robinson has 1,343. "I'm guessing he has around 1,800 yards overall," Wade said.
