- July 26, 2024
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Former Flagler Palm Coast and Bethune-Cookman star Jimmie Robinson has rushed for 15 touchdowns for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League. Courtesy photo
Jake Medlock is the starting quarterback of the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League and the offensive coordinator of the Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs. Courtesy photo
Jimmie Robinson is leading the Indoor Football League in rushing for the second straight season. Courtesy photo
Jake Medlock passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns in a comeback victory against the West Texas Desert Hawks. Courtesy photo
Jake Medlock hasn't played arena football for six seasons but leads the AFL in passing yards and touchdown passes. Courtesy photo
Jake Medlock’s typical day during the month of May began at 5:45 a.m. He’d wake up and get ready for practice with the Arena Football League’s Albany (New York) Firebirds. After practice, he’d write up scripts for his Flagler Palm Coast High School offense.
Then he’d watch his practice tape, eat lunch and break down FPC’s practice tape.
Medlock, FPC’s offensive coordinator, has a summer job. He’s the starting quarterback for the Firebirds. And he’s not the only coach on Daniel Fish’s FPC staff playing professional indoor football. Receivers coach Jimmie Robinson is the starting running back for the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League.
Both Medlock and Robinson are leading their leagues: Medlock in passing with 812 yards and 11 touchdowns and Robinson in rushing with 484 yards. They still find time to keep up with the players they coach, even though they’re miles away. They keep up with each other too, even though they’re playing in different leagues.
“Me and Jake call each other before our games and after our games, and we watch film on the FPC kids,” Robinson said.
Medlock broke down the film of FPC’s 38-7 spring game victory again Pine Ridge.
“They looked good,” he said. “There were a lot of good things and a lot of things we have to work on.”
Medlock’s Firebirds are undefeated. They scored 11 points in the final 20 seconds to keep their perfect record intact with a 47-46 victory over the West Texas Desert Hawks on May 24. Down 46-36, Medlock threw a touchdown pass followed by a long 4-point conversion pass to tie the score. On the ensuing kickoff, the Firebirds scored the winning point by tackling the returner in the end zone.
“It was pretty crazy,” said Medlock, whose team won again on June 1, holding off the Nashville Kats, 32-24, to improve to 6-0.
This is the fourth indoor football team Medlock, 32, has played for, but he hasn't played in six years. Firebirds coach Damon Ware, who coached Medlock in 2018 with the Cedar Rapids Titans of IFL, asked Medlock to come back. After a bit of negotiating, the former college quarterback accepted an offer.
“I got the money I was asking for and a couple of little things,” Medlock said. “I have’t lost much. I did some scout teams at FPC and I got to show the young bucks that the old bull has still got it.”
While Medlock is nearing the end of his playing career, Robinson is trying to advance his young career. The former FPC and Bethune-Cookman star led the IFL in rushing with 915 yards last season. He had signed with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers for this season before the league scrapped half of its teams, including the Breakers. After not getting picked up by another USFL team, the IFL’s Pirates asked him if he wanted to come back.
“The way football goes, you have to keep your film relevant,” he said.
He doesn’t know where his next stop will be as a player, but he'd ultimately like to get another shot at the NFL. He participated in the Cincinnati Bengals' rookie minicamp in 2019.
“Whatever God’s plan is, that’s what my next step will be,” he said. “I’m not fully locked in on playing arena the rest of my career.”
Medlock said he and Robinson have an informal competition on which one will have the most touchdowns. Robinson has 15 rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in 10 games, while Medlock has rushed for eight touchdowns and passed for 11.
Both teams will be playing in Florida this month. Robinson’s Massachusetts Pirates will be at the Jacksonville Sharks on June 22, while Medlock’s final regular-season game with Albany will be at the Orlando Predators on June 29.
“I know a bunch of (the FPC players) are coming to that game,” Medlock said. “Hopefully we’ll get them out on the field and do a group picture with them.”
