Junior Salpointe Catholic running back Bijan Robinson won the Ed Doherty Award on Saturday.
Robinson won the Arizona high school Heisman after a staggering 2,400 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns on 170 carries. He averaged 186.7 yards per game 14.1 yards per carry.
“It means a lot for the team,” Robinson said. “I try to put as much time and effort into the team. When I get back to Tucson, we will celebrate with it.”
Ed Doherty is the only man to be head coach for Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. This honor is especially meaningful to Robinson because Doherty also coached at Salpointe Catholic and the Lancers’ stadium is named after him. Current Salpointe head coach Dennis Bene played under Doherty and is frequently brought up to current Lancers.
“He speaks of (Doherty) almost every practice,” Robinson said. “How he played for him, the high expectations that he held. For the high expectations that he held for him, that’s the high expectations that he holds for me. Keep working and always cherish the moment.”
And Bene sees similar qualities that Doherty valued in his running back.
“(Doherty) was a tremendous impact in my life, so for Bijan to be forever linked to Coach Doherty, words cannot express the pride I have,” Bene said. “Ed Doherty was a legendary coach, but even more a legendary man. Bijan represents everything that is good about a student-athlete, everything that’s good about high school football. It’s just a tremendous honor.”
Robinson has rushed for 4,801 yards 66 touchdowns in three seasons with Salpointe Catholic. He will look to lead a Lancers program that has appeared in two straight 4A state championship games and returns a great deal in 2019.
