The 2015 Robinson football season came to an unceremonious end on Friday night with a 21-6 loss to Jefferson. The Dragons (3-6) clinched 5A-10’s final playoff spot while the Knights (5-5) miss out on the playoffs for third straight season.

“[We] couldn’t overcome the mistakes tonight or this season,” said Robinson head coach Shawn Taylor. “Depth was tough this year for us. Lots [of players] going both ways.”

The Knights got off to a hot start, driving down the field and holding possession for the first seven minutes of the game. The drive came to an end when a tipped pass fell into the hands of Darius Ford (’16), who returned the interception 85 yards for a touchdown.

The Dragons held on to a 7-0 lead until the start of the fourth quarter, when they extended their lead with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tyrese Spain (’18) to B.J. Williams (’18). The Knights responded with a 30-yard touchdown run by Iyan Mitchell (’16), but Mondreas Lofton (’16) returned the ensuing kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown to put Jefferson ahead 21-6.

Despite having a sizable advantage in time of possession, Robinson struggled to find the end zone, with turnovers proving to be the team’s kryptonite once again. Malik Tyson (’16) completed 14 of 28 passes for 150 yards while J.J. Henderson (’16) caught six passes for 62 yards. Anfernee Alston (’17) rushed for 87 yards on 15 carries before leaving with an injury.

“It was really a great feeling to be able to pull out a victory,” said Jefferson head coach Jeremy Earle. “Especially against a tough team like Robinson. They’re very tough and they’ve got some great players. Coach Taylor does a good job of getting those guys prepared.”

The Knights will now look ahead to next season, having to replace 20 seniors in the process. The team will be looking to build off of its .500 record this season, which came after back-to-back 4-6 seasons.

“We won more games than we did last year, so progress is always good,” said Taylor.