Jaxen Robinson graduated from Christopher High this past spring, leaving an amazing legacy on the football field. As the Cougars’ quarterback the past two years, he led the team to a 2023 Central Coast Section final and a 2024 league title.
In the last campaign, Robinson completed 186-of-280 passes for 2,592 yards, a superb .664 percentage. He tossed 27 touchdown passes and had only five interceptions. Additionally, he rushed 50 times for 194 yards and five scores.
In the fall of 2023, Robinson connected on 159-of-265 passes for 2,137 yards, a .600 percentage. He threw for 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Robinson received a scholarship from Northern Arizona University and will play football for the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Robinson leaves Christopher with more than football accolades. As a three-sport star, he also played a major role on the basketball and baseball teams, including helping lead both to CCS titles.
“I wanted to start by saying that Jaxen has proven to be the most accomplished athlete in the 16 years of our school,” said Darren Yafai, Christopher football coach through the 2023-24 season and a CHS History teacher. “And that is saying a lot as CHS athletics has unprecedented success for a ‘newer’ school individually and the league and section titles of our teams.”
Football was Robinson’s specialty. He led the 2023 team on a playoff run for the ages. As a No. 8 seed in the CCS D2 playoffs, the Cougars rallied from a late nine-point deficit to shock powerful Archbishop Mitty of the West Catholic League.
The 32-28 upset of the No. 1 seed was highlighted by a vintage Robinson performance. On the game-deciding 82-yard touchdown drive, he converted a fourth-and-20 with a 42-yard completion to Amari Bluford. Christopher upended Menlo School 21-17 the following week on the way to the CCS final, where they fell to eventual state champion Soquel.
The 2024 squad captured the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Mt. Hamilton Division title, highlighted by big wins over top competitors Branham 45-28, Santa Teresa 31-14 and Live Oak 31-7. The 6-0 league mark included victories by 17 or more points in each game. It was CHS’ first-ever sole BVAL championship and it came in the highest division.
“Jaxen Robinson is one of the best players I’ve ever played with,” said teammate Evan Vernon, who starred at wide receiver and linebacker for CHS. “I never had to worry about what was going on at quarterback because I had him back there and I always knew that with him under center, we had a chance to win.
“In addition to just being a gunslinger on the field, he was a great leader for us.”
Robinson, stellar at academics, stated he loved having something to look forward to after school.
“Coming as a freshman to senior, I grew to be a leader, positive teammate, and learned to push myself and others to the max to win games,” Robinson said. “I think I tallied up all the football games I played in and my overall record was 25-4. I took pride in wearing the teal and gold and my competitive mindset wanted to win every game I stepped on the field.”
In basketball, Robinson starred for the Cougars at center. The 2023-24 team reached the CCS finals and grabbed a NorCal win. The 2024-25 team, unbeaten in league play at 12-0 and 25-3 overall, captured the school’s first CCS title with three playoff wins, culminating with a 51-50 nailbiter over Westmont.
“Most wins in the history of Gilroy, first title in school history,” coach Adam Sax said. “Versus Westmont (in a crucial regular-season game), Jaxen made a basket with 0.8 seconds to go to lead us to a victory. That will be remembered, but what truly stood out was his character.
“He led by example, supported his teammates and handled both victory and setback with grace. He was, in every sense, a better person than player—a young man whose integrity, sportsmanship and mindset made a lasting impact on everyone around him.”
Robinson was part of a great CHS baseball program, playing first base and hitting in the meat of the order. The 2023-24 Cougars won the CCS Division III title with wins over Hillsdale, Palma and Hollister. They later added a NorCal victory. The 2024-25 team reached the CCS semifinals.
Robinson reflected back on all his Cougars sports experiences.
“Some of my top memories were making it to the CCS championship game as a No. 8 seed my junior year and upsetting Mitty, the No. 1 seed,” Robinson said. “Then another peak memory for me was winning the CCS championship for basketball my senior year, beating Westmont in the final seconds. Then another memory that I’ll never forget was my walk-off homer against Leigh in extra innings and jumping on home plate with my teammates yelling out of joy.
“Some teammates that helped me become the player and person I am today are Evan Vernon, Ebuka Okeke, Tyler Green, Aleksi Rosti, Amari Bluford and Saed Mustafa.”
Robinson started in football at age 12. His father, Patrick Robinson, introduced it to him from watching the NFL’s Raiders and playing catch in the backyard. Jaxen Robinson played on the Gilroy Browns with Coach Richie Sotelo and learned the building blocks of the sport from him.
Robinson referenced both parents for helping him learn the right way to play sports, having a positive mentality and working on getting better every day. Mother Allison Robinson was a big influence, as she had an elite sports career in softball at Arizona and won a national championship in 2001.
“I truly look up to her from her experience in college and I often rely on her for moral support as she’s gone through the same things and even more than I have,” Robinson said.
Robinson cited many coaches for helping him on and off the field, including Yafai, Adam Sax and Scott Davis.
“I also was his U.S. History teacher in 11th grade,” Yafai said. “He’s a leader on the field/court and also in the classroom with a 3.7 GPA, taking some of our school’s most rigorous courses. One of my all-time favorite students. The rare combination of being driven (and) focused yet always a gentleman and fun to be around. His teammates loved him; and off the field, he’s a regular guy.”
Robinson received significant college football attention and chose Northern Arizona, with Cal Poly a close second. He chose NAU from the connections he made with the coaches and the upward trajectory of the football program.
“He was a guy who was willing to be vocal and push others on the team to meet the high standards that were expected,” Vernon said. “He always had a ton of energy and I loved joking around with him. With that said, I would go to war with and for him any day—he’s that type of player and more importantly, person. He’s one of the hardest workers out there and I know he’s going to do big things at NAU.”
Robinson plans to study Business Economics. He said his interest was sparked by Ben Vega’s class at Christopher.
“Unanimous football league MVP last year,” 2024 CHS head football coach Adam Hazel said. “Pretty sure he has every passing school record at Christopher. Main thing was he was the driving force to us having high-quality weight room sessions and practices.
“His competitiveness rubbed off on everyone. That was a huge reason why in all the sports he played at CHS, he was playing for league and CCS titles. Jaxen is a great person, a leader and an ultimate competitor. He’s going to be very successful at NAU and I’ll be rooting him on.”
