By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
The high school careers of brothers Jason and Jesse Robbins of Oviedo (Fla.) High had similar beginnings, but they have taken some differing twists and turns along the way.
Started in the sport by father, J.D., in their native California as toddlers, Jason Robbins, who graduated from Oviedo in 2005, was a four-time Class 3A state champion and was unbeaten in his high school career. Jesse appeared to be going down the same road when he won the 140-pound state championship as an eighth-grader.
Four years later, however, Jesse is still looking for that elusive second state title. He has finished third in state each of the past three years and was rolled through and pinned in the state semifinals last year.
But it’s been Jesse that has had the greater national success. He is a two-time Junior National Greco-Roman champion, winning his first crown in 2005 by dethroning fellow Floridian Rocky Cozart of Brandon High, who had won the 2004 Junior title.
Next year, the brothers will be reunited all the way across the country at Arizona State, Jesse signing a national letter of intent during the early signing period last month. He’ll be the latest in the Oviedo connection to the Sun Devils, making it four Lions to sign with ASU over a three-year period. Upper weights David Green (197) and Kenny Lester (Hwt) are Arizona State freshmen this year.
Recently, W.I.N. caught up with Robbins for this candid interview.
W.I.N.: Your brother, Jason, signed with Arizona State two years ago. Now you’re the fourth wrestler from your school to commit to Arizona State in three years. How did the connection with ASU get established?
Jesse Robbins: We moved to Florida from California about 10 years ago. My brother really likes it out there and I really like it, too. My dad and (Arizona State coach) Thom Ortiz have known each other for a long time. I remember I used to go to Bobby Douglas’ camp when we still lived in California and Thom used to be there coaching.
W.I.N.: How did Lester and Green become interested in going there, too?
Robbins: Personally, I thought David was going to go to (Tennessee-Chattanooga). I had no idea on that one. I think they just wanted to stick together. Actually, Kenny and David lived together in high school, too, during the season just to stay on track for (the state tournament) and for nationals. And they developed a really good friendship, so when one of them went, the other went, too.
W.I.N.: With your brother, Green and Lester all already going to Arizona State, was it, for you personally, a foregone conclusion that you would join them there? Did you open up your recruiting process?
Robbins: Yeah, I was really open, actually. The only schools I visited officially were Nebraska and Arizona State. But I’ve visited a bunch of campuses over the years and I’ve talked to a ton of coaches so I know what a lot of other schools are like. I go to a lot of tournaments and I went to the Sunkist (Open) so I didn’t have a lot of free weekends. But I was really open. It was a really hard decision, but I liked Arizona State the best. I like the location, the coaches — I’ve known them for a while. I really liked the coaching staff at Nebraska a lot, too, but Arizona State was my choice and I’m happy with it.
W.I.N.: Did the weather have anything to do with it?
Robbins: A little bit. Not that much at first, but I’m a Florida boy. I like the heat.
W.I.N.: How did you happen to gravitate toward Greco-Roman as the style you like the most?
Robbins: My dad started me in wrestling when I was 2, so I was wrestling Greco and freestyle long before I started wrestling folkstyle. I don’t know … I just really like it. I don’t really have to move as much — I’m not a very quick guy — but I don’t really like doing legs. I like to pummel for position and hit big throws.
W.I.N.: I still remember that match against (former Brandon star) Rocky Cozart in the (Junior National Greco-Roman) finals last year, when you hit that big three-pointer on him when he was coming back on you. That had to be some kind of a feeling.
Robbins: Yeah, it was.
W.I.N.: You guys had probably gotten a chance to work out with each other for years before that, didn’t you?
Robbins: I never had gotten a chance to wrestle Rocky in a competition. I did wrestle (Lehigh freshman) David Craig before, but I had never had a chance to wrestle Rocky. I’ve seen him and he’s still a national champ. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great Greco wrestler, too.
W.I.N.: After having the chance to work out with him as much as you did, what was it like having to be in that situation: going into a match against him for all the marbles?
Robbins: I wasn’t too worried about it. I think he had more of the pressure on him. I think I do better when I’m more of an underdog, so I was able to open up in that match.
W.I.N.: Aside from your dad, who are some of the guys who have been most influential on you as far as your Greco technique and developing your style?
Robbins: I do go out to the Olympic Training Center a couple of times a year and pick up a lot of great stuff. After we go to the Training Center, we always bring something back. And we incorporate that into our style. So we get stuff from everywhere, not just from one person. Maybe just watching a tape, like from the 1993 World Championships.
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