Meet the Robinsons
How important is the playoffs to the Bremen twins? ‘I get one more week to play with my brother.’
When senior running back/ linebacker Justin Robinson carries the ball for Bremen, he trusts his offensive linemen to protect him. There’s one in particular he has a special level of confidence in.
His twin brother, Jaylin. “When we’re playing together and he’s pulling to block for me and I’m running right behind him, it’s a great feeling,” Justin said. “I’ve got my brother right in front of me. My actual, blood brother.
“A few weeks ago, we ran a ‘28 and I remember him just blocking everyone in sight and we scored off that play. It’s a great feeling when he’s my blocker. I know he’ll get the job done.”
The Robinson twins have been instrumental in Bremen (5-4) qualifying for the Class 6A playoffs. The Braves have a tough
opener at 7 p.m. Friday against host St. Ignatius (8-1).
“They’re very similar but very different,” Bremen coach Dan Stell said of the twins. “Justin is a very important player for us at running back and linebacker. Jaylin is a phenom on the offensive line. When Jaylin gets out and pulls and Justin is running behind him, that’s really cool.”
Bremen was 3-4 and had to win its final two games over T.F. North and Tinley Park. The Braves pulled off a 21-14 win over the Titans in Week 9 to punch their playoff ticket.
“It felt really good to win that,” Jaylin said. “Most of the people we knew doubted our team and thought we were going to lay down and give up. But we didn’t, and we were able to get the job done and get into the playoffs.”
Justin Robinson has ran for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He has been a key cog on defense,
recording 44 tackles.
Jaylin is content to let Justin get the accolades when he breaks a long run.
“I don’t try to put myself in the center of the spotlight, so when everyone is running up to him after a big run, that’s good with me,” Jaylin said. “I take my couple high-fives, but I like leaving him to get all that attention.”
The twins bond over what happens on the football field.
“We’re able to talk to each other after games and bring up plays, like ‘Did you see how I blew that guy up with my block?’ or ‘Did you see my run?’ ” Justin said. “It
brings us closer together because we always get to see each other
after games and we’re always talking about the big stuff that we did.”
The Robinsons are trying to soak in their remaining time together as Braves, knowing it could end Friday.
“It’s definitely going to be a little emotional, knowing if we lose, we’ll be hanging it up forever,” Justin said. “If we win, it’s still going to be emotional knowing I get to play one more week with my brother.”
Mountain climbed: Shepard (5-4) dug itself out of the biggest hole possible, going from 0-4 to making the playoffs.
“Our guys knew we had played some great teams early,” Shepard coach John Rone said. “They were able to look and see Kankakee and Lemont ended up 9-0, and we knew we could compete with teams like that.
“They believed, they kept working hard, and they got here. I’m really proud of them.”
The Astros play at 7 p.m. Friday against host Prospect (7-2).
Aiming for No. 15: Joliet Catholic (9-0) enters the 4A playoffs as a heavy favorite to win the state championship.
For coach Jake Jaworski, though, there’s no looking ahead.
“We can’t pay attention to any of that,” Jaworski said. “We know we have to take it one week at a time, be focused and ready to play our game. Everyone we play is going to be hungry to take us down.”