Ja’Marcus Robinson said he loves the freestyle of defense, and he enjoys being able to hit someone every play on offense for the Seton Catholic Cougars, who are preparing for the Class 1A state championship football game

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

The players on one side of the line of scrimmages describe themselves as fools.

Wait, make that FOOLS. As in, the Fraternal Order of Offensive Line Studs.

The players on the other side of the line of scrimmage don’t have an acronym, but they love to pile up the bodies. As in sacks. Tackles-for-loss. Stuffs.

The offensive linemen and the defensive linemen at Seton Catholic have been executing all season. So, far, in fact, they have done so perfectly

One player starts on both sides of the ball, too.

“It’s a blessing to be part of this team, to have all these brothers who have my back,” said junior Ja’Marcus Robinson. “We’re doing our job. It’s a good thing.”

Seton Catholic is 12-0 and getting ready to play for the Class 1A state championship. The Cougars, No. 2 in the bracket, will face No. 1 Royal at 3 p.m. Friday at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

Seton Catholic football getting a send-off to the state championship game. Cougars play Friday in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/kyJ7w4FiBc

— Paul Valencia (@ValenciaCCT) December 5, 2024

Robinson played mostly on the offensive line last year when the Cougars reached the state semifinals. This year, he was asked to stay on the field on defense, too.

Turns out, he likes defense better. He said he is allowed to “freestyle” on defense. He was also voted by the coaches as first team, all Trico League for his play on defense

Either side of the ball, he gets to hit people … every play. That’s pretty cool.

On offense, besides being FOOLS, they also call themselves Trench Kings.

The nicknames are fun. The job, though, is serious.

“We’re protecting somebody,” Robinson said.

He takes that responsibility seriously, saying he is motivated to not mess up, to ensure the quarterback has time to pass to one of the many talented receivers, or the running backs have room to make a move. 

When the offense scores, the rest of the linemen head to the sideline, get coached up, get some water, and catch a breather.

Robinson, though, stays on the field for defense.

“I’m doing what’s best for the team,” Robinson said, adding that he does get tired every game.

Still, that’s a good problem to have. Seton Catholic is averaging more than 46 points per game. The defense is giving up just a little more than 12 points per game, and that includes the 41 points against in the crazy 42-41 quarterfinal game against Life Christian Academy.

“It was scary at first,” Robinson said of that game. 

But he and his brothers persevered. 

“We kept pushing, and we got the ‘dub,’” he said.

That quarterfinal game was special for Robinson, too, because he had not played for two weeks. Robinson found himself in a bit of trouble in Week 9 and was disqualified from the contest. Rules say that a player then must miss the next game. So Robinson sat out the Week 10 state preliminary round playoff. 

“I was on the scout team, helping them get better,” Robinson said of the preparation for that week.

While he did what he could in practice, he still felt bad for missing out on the game.

“It motivated me to cool my temper, to chill out a little bit,” Robinson said.

Seton Catholic received the 2-seed to state, which meant the Cougars had a bye in Week 11. Robinson returned to the field, grateful for every play, in Week 12.

“JaMarcus lives for football. It’s great to have him on both sides of the ball because he brings such passion,” Seton Catholic coach Dan Chase said. “He has a great motor, too. He has a lot of heart and courage.”

After surviving against Life Christian, the Cougars led from start to finish against Montesano in the semifinals. Seton Catholic had punched a ticket to the championship game.

“Being part of something that is a first in school history, that’s something special,” Robinson said.

A police escort for Seton Catholic football. On the way to Seattle for Class 1A state championship game. pic.twitter.com/Ca32pajtza

— Paul Valencia (@ValenciaCCT) December 5, 2024

Seton Catholic will have a huge challenge going up against Royal, one of the best football programs in the Northwest.

Win or lose, though, the Cougars know they have accomplished something remarkable, and they have done it together — from the skill guys scoring all the points and racking up the yards, to the FOOLs on the offensive line — as well as that strong defense.

“It’s a brotherhood. That’s the main thing,” Robinson said. “We’re all connected. That’s something that is really big. It speaks to me.”