On the Radar: Robertson drawing national attention

One of the hallmarks of this year's senior recruiting class in Northern Nevada will be Douglas High offensive lineman Parker Robertson.

It's a fact Robertson wishes everyone just as soon forget for the time being.

But, when coaches from big-name schools walk in the front door of a small-town school wearing all of their team gear for an appointment to see the football coach, it's pretty hard to hide.

"It's weird," Robertson said. "It's definitely not something I like to talk about. I try to keep it on the down low. A lot of people know what is going on, but I want to focus on the season."

He is the consummate offensive lineman. Even when he gets his chance in the spotlight, he'd rather have it turned the opposite direction.

"We have a lot to accomplish here," he said. "We have a very tough first half of the schedule and that's the thing I want to focus on."

Tough is certainly the appropriate word.

The front end of Douglas' schedule this year is among the toughest the school has ever had.

After opening with state power Las Vegas, the Tigers take on Reno, Reed and Galena three of the four regional semifinalists from last season, sandwiched around a trip to Fallon.

Add to it that Douglas will be replacing 18 starters from last season and the picture gets a little clearer.

"When I'm working out, I'm thinking about getting stronger and quicker for the team," Robertson said. "We've got three voluntary workouts a week with the coaches but we also get together as players and workout together on Saturdays.

"We have a lot of holes to fill. We can do it if we work hard. This recruiting stuff is something I'd prefer to worry about after the season."

And yet, he's received 200 letters from 50 schools over the last year. Eight schools made appointments with coach Mike Rippee to pick up film and get an evaluation.

Harvard, Columbia and Stanford went even further and performed an academic evaluation.

The names flow from Robertson's mouth with a soft, almost embarassed tone as though he doesn't want anyone to hear.

"(Defending national champion) LSU, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal ..." he pauses. "I guess those are the big ones."

Robertson, who at 6-3, 275, will play offensive and defensive tackle for the Tigers this year but is garner attention as an interior lineman in college, started receiving interest last season as coaches came to town to watch then senior Jeff Nady (now at Nevada).

"They were coming to watch Jeff and I guess they saw me, nothing really happened," Robertson said. "When the season ended, letters started coming into the office. As time went by, more and more letters were coming in from more schools."

He opened this summer by traveling to the Nike Elite Combine in Eugene, Ore. and followed up with impressive performances at team camps at Cal and Oregon State.

With that, the attention has only increased.

Robertson said he was thankful for the help and guidance of Rippee and Douglas assistant Ernie Monfiletto.

"People are looking at him," Rippee said. "They like his frame, his grades are outstanding. He has really stepped up and become one of our leaders and he'll be carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders. He'll see time on the offensive and the defensive line this year and we'll be looking to him to help anchor down those units."

The national media has begun to take notice as well.

ESPN, Scout.com and Rivals.com have all set up profiles to track Robertson's progress as the recruiting game heats up later this year. Rivals called him one of the top offensive line recruits in the state.

Rivals called him a great run blocker and solid pass blocker with excellent footwork.

All of that, as far as Robertson is concerned, will remain on the back burner for now.

"We have Las Vegas in about a month," he said. "It's a tough season-opener. We're busy getting ready and we can't wait for the season.