In a span of less than 18 hours, Delmon Robinson was able to share a pair of lifetime achievements with his father, Dellie C., the boys basketball coach at Vicksburg High.

On Tuesday night, Delmon was on the floor, helping his dad win his 500th career game as a basketball coach in a game at Yazoo City. On Wednesday afternoon in the VHS library, Dellie C. saw his son sign a football scholarship with Mississippi State.

“That was a special moment to be there for my dad. To see him smile like that after we had held on to win. It was a big moment for us in the dressing room afterwards,” Delmon said in describing the Gators’ 55-51 win over Yazoo City that locked up the No. 1 seed in next week’s Division 3-4A Tournament at Lanier.

Dellie C. Robinson had another big smile on his face after watching Delmon sign with Sylvester Croom’s resurgent Bulldogs.

“This right here means quite a lot to me,” Dellie C. said — not minding it’s for football instead of basketball. “A friend of mine back in Canton told me Delmon was going to be a football player. I was going to let him find his own way because he’s such a good athlete.”

And he’s one who has a clear direction on what he wants to do. Delmon posted a solid score on the American College Test and had his academic work in order to become NCAA eligible by his junior year.

“I’m going into pre-pharmacy at State. I want to become a pharmacist,” Delmon said of his future plans.

Robinson has been committed to Mississippi State since August, but that didn’t stop Alcorn State, his father’s alma mater, from approaching him about staying closer to home.

“They (Alcorn) did a good job in a minimum amount of time, but I wanted to go to Mississippi State. It’s good to be done with it. Now I can focus on our basketball team. The football was a great distraction, but now I can concentrate on adding a ring for my dad in basketball,” Delmon said in reference to his dad’s 2003 Class 5A state title with the Gators.

VHS football coach Alonzo Stevens was beaming proudly as well. Delmon is the school’s first SEC signee since David Heard, who started for three years as a cornerback at Mississippi State. Former VHS receiver Ben Shelton played the last two years at State, but spent two years at Hinds Community College before that.

“They are the same type of kid, but Delmon is more athletic than David. He can do it all,” Stevens said.

Originally it was thought that Croom’s staff would put Robinson at defensive back, just like Heard. But with the signing Wednesday of Clarksdale’s Charles Mitchell, a projected safety, Robinson said he may be headed to the Bulldogs’ offense.

“Coach Croom is sending me the offensive playbook. They think I can be a game-changing playmaker as a wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner,” Robinson said.

Two other Gator seniors, John Qualls and Cordell Watkins, signed with Hinds Community College. Qualls, an All-County receiver, chose Hinds over Alcorn State.

“It’s all about competition and I think by going to Hinds, I can show what I can do. And then in two years, I can get recruited again in two years,” Qualls said.

Watkins said he chose Hinds because of its emergency medical program.

“I want to become an EMT paramedic and Hinds is a good place to start,” said Watkins, who is one of the fastest players in the area with an electronic timed 4.3 second time in the 40-yard dash.

Three Warren Central players – defensive lineman Bennie Peoples (Copiah-Lincoln), wide receiver Quenton Truly (Hinds), and offensive lineman David Henderson (Southwest) — along with Hinds AHS lineman John Gilmore, also went the junior college route.

Peoples had been recruited by several four-year schools including Louisiana-Lafayette and West Alabama. He believes going to a junior college will give him a chance to show off his talent to bigger programs.

“I didn’t want to go to a four-year school because I didn’t get any D-I offers, and that’s what I want,” said Peoples, who had 73 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks last season.

Truly has good size, at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, but didn’t get a lot of chances to show off his receiving skills in WC’s run-oriented offense. He caught only 15 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns this season, and had 21 receptions for 304 yards and three TDs in his career.

Truly said knowing how to block, though, will help him in his transition to the next level.

“It’ll help. I had to block a lot for our running game,” Truly said.

Three other Vicksburg-area players completed a successful journey through the juco ranks by signing with four-year schools.

Former WC star Jesse Pedyfoot signed with Delta State in December and his old Viking teammate Otis Stamps signed with Louisiana-Monroe the same month. Pedyfoot signed as a defensive end, and Stamps as a cornerback. Both players have already enrolled at their new schools.

Running back Albert Williams, who spent the last two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College after a standout career at Hinds AHS, signed with Nicholls State on Wednesday.

Hinds Community College quarterback Terrence Barnes and wide receiver Carlos Everett both signed with Jackson State.

Former Porters Chapel star Chris Mixon said earlier this week that he planned to sign with Delta State. As of this morning, however, the school had not received his paperwork, director of athletic media relations Matt Jones said.

Photos of all signees