The Buffaloes unleashed their new stable of skill position players in a hard-earned 44-38 win at Kimball last Friday, March 19.

Leading the youth movement was junior running back Khalid Robinson, who ignited Manteca with the second-half kickoff and helped put the Jaguars away with clutch rushes behind his physical offensive line. 

Kimball took advantage of five turnovers to carry a 16-8 lead into halftime against the reigning Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champion. 

Robinson then gave the Buffs a much-needed boost, dashing 73 yards on the kickoff return to set up their first drive of the half on the Kimball 3. In the fourth, he scored his lone touchdown on a fourth-down 28-yard scamper, capping a 30-6 onslaught. 

Robinson finished with 178 yards on 19 carries, adding four 2-point conversion runs.

“Excellent debut performance by Khalid,” Manteca coach Mark Varnum said. “We needed a spark in the second half and he brought it. Only the beginning of what should be a phenomenal varsity career by a great young man.”