2B — April 10, 2017
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

A starter, a walk-on and a prayer

A

ndrew Robinson’s house 
was on State Street, and 
Dymonte Thomas’ was 

right behind it on White Street. 
So last sum-
mer, as the 
two were in 
Ann Arbor 
preparing for 
the Michigan 
football sea-
son, Thomas 
was always 
cutting 
through Rob-
inson’s yard.

Whenever Thomas went 

anywhere, he walked down 
Robinson’s driveway, and then, 
because he’s Dymonte Thomas, 
“next thing you know we’d see 
him in our living room, just 
saying ‘What’s up?’ and stuff,” 
Robinson said.

That’s how the bond formed 

between the two men who 
shared almost nothing except a 
yard and a football team. Their 
friendship developed in the com-
ing months, after softball games 
and bowling outings and Thurs-
day night Pizza House dinners 
along with kicker Ryan Tice.

And then Thomas and 

Robinson blinked, and it was 
around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, 
2016, about an hour before 
kickoff of Thomas’ last game 
at Michigan Stadium. So as 
warmups proceeded around 
them, the two did what they 
always do at that time on Sat-
urdays: They met in the north 
end zone, took a knee, locked 
arms and prayed.

***

College football gets 

stressful, Robinson notes. 
So it’s good for him to have 
a “jokester” on the team like 
Thomas, who could walk into 
the locker room, crack a joke 
and lighten spirits.

“He is the way I am,” Thom-

as said. “I don’t know, it was 
just one of those friendships 

that you have where you just 
automatically connect really 
well.”

That’s how the friendship 

developed between the two, 
by playful ribbing. Robinson’s 
younger brother would come 
visit, and Thomas would say to 
him, “Oh, the better Robinson’s 
here. When are you going to 
come here and take your broth-
er’s spot?” Thomas would drop 
an interception, and Robinson 
would tease, “That’s what you 
get for not having hands.”

Their football careers have 

almost nothing in common. 
When they prayed together 
last year, Thomas was a senior 
starting safety, Robinson a 
redshirt sophomore backup 
long snapper. Thomas could be 
an NFL Draft pick later this 

month; Robinson will never 
have that opportunity.

Thomas was a four-star 

recruit in 2013, the No. 71 
recruit in the nation and the 
No. 9 safety according to 
247sports.com. He chose Mich-
igan over Ohio State and Notre 
Dame. Robinson had to send 
out his game film in order to 
receive a visit from Michigan. 
He picked the Wolverines over 
Ohio and Grand Valley State.

But the two shared some 

connections — family was 
important to both, as was 
religion. Thomas used to pray 
before games with reserve 
cornerback Terry Richardson, 
who played at Michigan from 
2012 to 2015. After Richard-
son graduated and transferred 
to Marshall, Robinson asked 

Thomas before last season’s 
opener against Hawaii if he 
could pray with him during 
warmups.

The free moment always 

came after Thomas finished 
stretching with the return 
men, and Robinson finished 
practicing with the kickers. 
Thomas would flag Robinson 
down — “I wouldn’t pray with-
out Andrew,” he said — and the 
two found a brief moment of 
peace before the chaos started.

Thomas typically led. He 

fought nagging injuries, so he’d 
pray for health. He’d pray for 
Robinson to perform his job 
if called upon. He’d pray for 
either to be able to bounce back 
if Thomas dropped an inter-
ception or Robinson botched 
a snap.

After the prayer, Robinson 

would give Thomas a pep talk. 
The message, in Thomas’ mem-
ory: Show why you’re one of 
the best safeties around. Domi-
nate the day. Know that God’s 
got your back, and he’s going to 
protect you.

After they finished, they 

stood up and hugged in a long 
embrace, and then they resumed 
their football duties. They did 
not skip a prayer last season.

***

Once last season, Robinson’s 

mother told him she saw a fan 
tearing up in the front row 
watching the weekly prayer. 
The Wolverines pray as a team 
before every game, but Thomas 
and Robinson also enjoyed the 
chance to make their ritual 
public. 

“I look back at life and real-

ize how blessed I am,” Thomas 
said. “I think it’s the right 
thing to do to give God credit, 
not only in silence but in front 
of people as well.”

Thomas graduated in 

December and is spending his 
final months in Ann Arbor 
training and preparing for 
the NFL. His Michigan career 
finished strong, yet as he looks 
back, the prayer meant most to 
him in the toughest times. His 
first season, he played defense 
in just three games and fin-
ished with seven tackles. He 
had to soak up the playbook 
and adjust to his college stud-
ies.

“When you go through 

(adversity) and some things 
that just don’t go your way, I 
won’t necessarily say you get 
away from God, but you kind 
of focus on trying to get better 
at whatever you’re struggling 
at,” Thomas said. “…At first, 
it was just hard, and I felt like 
God was leaving me, but then 
Andrew helped me realize that 
I can get through anything 
with God, and God’s never 
going to let me walk down a 
path by myself. He will always 
be there for me.”

As for Robinson, football 

returns to Michigan Stadium 
on Saturday for the annual 
Spring Game, and Thomas 
won’t be there waiting in the 
end zone.

Robinson has thought about 

what will happen then and 
thinks for now that he will 
pray by himself, until he and 
someone else find the same 
connection. When they do, 
watch for them. They’ll be in 
the same end zone, under the 
same goalposts, arm in arm, 
around noon.

Lourim can be reached 

at jlourim@umich.edu and 

on Twitter @jakelourim.

JAKE LOURIM, DAILY SPORTS WRITER/Daily

Andrew Robinson and Dymonte Thomas knelt together in the endzone and united in prayer before the Orange Bowl, as they did before every game last season.

SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN

JAKE 
LOURIM

Michigan surrenders early lead to Blue Jays

For 
three 
minutes 
on 

Saturday in Baltimore, the 
Michigan 
women’s 
lacrosse 

team was sitting pretty.

Senior 
midfielder 
Kim 

Coughlan put the Wolverines 
(1-3 Big Ten, 5-10 overall) on the 
board two 
minutes 
into 
the 

contest. 
Thirty seconds later, senior 
attackman 
Jess 
Angerman 

found the back of the net, and 
Michigan held a 2-0 lead over 
Johns Hopkins. 

But the shutout held for just 

30 more seconds, before Blue 
Jay attackman CeCe Finney 
gave her team its first goal of 
the game. One minute later, 
Finney scored again, and after 
that the Wolverines’ Potemkin 
lead collapsed into a 15-8 loss.

Three minutes after Finney’s 

second goal, midfielder Nicole 

DeMase gave Johns Hopkins 
(1-3, 9-4) the lead for good. The 
Blue Jays flew away with the rest 
of the half, as they scored five 
more goals — eight unanswered 
in total — to 
take an 8-2 lead 
with 10 minutes 
remaining 
in 

the period.

Following 

Johns Hopkins’ 
eighth 
goal, 

Michigan 
coach Jennifer 
Ulehla 
decided to pull 
sophomore 
starting goalie 
Mira 
Shane 

in 
favor 
of 

redshirt freshman Alli Kothari.

Kothari 
proved 
valuable 

for the remainder of the first 
period, saving two shots and 
allowing no goals. Her saves 
started 
to 
build 
up 
some 

momentum for the Wolverines, 
and with just 23 seconds 

remaining 
in 
the 
period, 

freshman midfielder Chandler 
Kirby scored the team’s first 
goal in over 27 minutes – a 
much needed boost going into 

the locker room.

Just 
38 

seconds 
into 

the second half, 
Coughlan found 
the back of the 
net for the second 
time. A mere 13 
seconds 
after 

that, 
freshman 

midfielder Molly 
Garrett put the 
ball past Blue Jay 
goalie 
Caroline 

Federico, 
and 

suddenly 
the 

Wolverines found new life.

Johns Hopkins expanded the 

lead back to four just before the 
28-minute mark — capping off 
a barrage of three goals in two 
minutes to begin the period — 
and that difference held steady 
for eight more minutes.

The Michigan resurgence 

was still not over, though, as 
freshman attacker Lilly Grass 
and redshirt junior attacker 
Bianca Brueckner both found 
the back of the net to narrow 
the 
Wolverines’ 
deficit 
to 

just two – the team’s smallest 
margin since the 20:13 mark of 
the first period.

But 
the 
resurgence 

disappeared as quickly as the 
mirage it appeared to be. The 
Blue Jays outscored Michigan 
6-1 in the closing half of the 
second period to secure a 15-8 
lead and win their first Big Ten 
game of the season.

For 
the 
Wolverines, 
the 

loss marks the third straight 
in as many Big Ten matches 
since they won their opening 
conference game against Ohio 
State. 
Michigan 
will 
have 

two more chances to earn 
wins against Big Ten teams at 
home and improve its standing 
before the Big Ten Tournament 
in College Park.

MAX KUANG/Daily

Redshirt freshman goalie Alli Kothari replaced Mira Shane in net Saturday, allowing just seven goals in just over 40 minutes against the Blue Jays.

MATTHEW KENNEDY

Daily Sports Writer

MICHIGAN
J. HOPKINS 

8
15

But the 

resurgence 
disappeared 
as quickly as 
the mirage it 

appeared to be.

“There were a couple of 

opportunities that we had 
that maybe we missed,” 
Rennard said. “But I think 
we did a really good job 
on offense, defense and 
pitching to settle things 
down.”

Despite the loss, the 

bullpen proved to be a 
bright spot. In six and 
two-thirds 
innings 
of 

relief, the bullpen allowed 
only one run and struck 
out 
seven. 
Rennard 

highlighted the bullpen’s 
strong 
effort, 
coming 

in for Hendrickson and 
allowing only one run in 
3.2 innings.

“(My mindset) was just 

to throw up zeroes, and 
keep the team in it by 
doing the best job I could 
and swing the momentum 
back 
in 
our 
favor,” 

Rennard said.

In 
order 
to 
ensure 

that Sunday’s game is an 
anomaly, Michigan must 
be ready to play from the 
start.

“We all (need to) lock 

it in from pitch one,” 
Rennard 
said. 
“You’re 

supposed 
to 
be, 
and 

sometimes 
it 
doesn’t 

happen. So from pitch one 
having that mentality of 
being aggressive and not 
feel out the first inning.”

BASEBALL
From Page 1B

SOFTBALL
From Page 1B

During the second game, Falk 

blasted a three-run bomb, seizing 
the lead that Ohio State previously 
held. Blanco was a presence at the 
plate as well, adding four RBI in the 
game, including a three-run double 
that cushioned Michigan’s victory 
in the sixth inning.

Sophomore second baseman 

Faith Canfield posted a career-high 
four hits in the second game, going 
7-for-10 on the day.

Canfield’s elite performance in 

the doubleheader is consistent with 
her recent achievement at the plate. 
She now bats .373 on the season 
— the third-best average for the 
Wolverines.

“I’ve just kind of been getting 

comfortable,” Canfield said. “And I 
just go up (to the plate) to attack, see 
ball hit ball, just keeping it simple.”

Betsa had yet another impressive 

showing as well, fanning 21 
Buckeyes over 10 total innings 
pitched on the day. The ace tossed 
a complete-game win in the first 
slate and relieved Blanco for the last 
three innings of the second. She was 
untouchable in relief, allowing zero 
hits and collecting nine strikeouts.

Moving forward, Michigan is 

looking to have a lot more days like 
Saturday.

“My goal is for us to just keep 

getting better,” Hutchins said. 
“We’ve gotten a lot better in the 
last month and two months, but 
I thought we took a step back 
(Sunday). We can’t ever think that 
were done getting better.”

Congratulations to the 2017 
Michigan Daily Sports March 
Madness Bracket Champion:

Rebecca Lerner

She edits our content for one 

semester and thinks she can start 

showing us up.

