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Photo Isabel Hanewicz

Quarterback Quinton Berney ('20) runs away from the Patriots in order to make a pass, which was incomplete. During the fourth quarter, Robinson's and Pinellas Park's JV teams played each other.

Robinson fell to Pinellas Park in their preseason kickoff with a shut out 29-0 after beating the Patriots in 2015 with a 38-21 comeback win.

“[Our biggest struggle tonight was] little things, everywhere,” Robinson head coach Shawn Taylor said. “Plays, recognition, all the things that come from experience, which is what these preseason games are for.”

Pinellas Park took a seven point lead less than a minute in the game off a 65-yard run. After Robinson turned it over on downs the next drive, the Patriots widened their lead to 13-0 off a 40-yard pass.

In the second quarter, the Knights forced the Patriots to turnover on downs, but were forced to punt. The Patriots then drove the ball into the end zone, making a two-point conversion for a 21-0 lead. An interception for the Patriots ended the half almost exactly the same to the 2015 game, where the Knights trailed 21-6.

While the Knights attempted to replicate 2015’s high-scoring second half, the Patriots forced them to punt multiple times, ending varsity competition for the night, with both teams’ JV squads taking over in the fourth quarter. The Patriots ended the night with a 21-yard run and two-point conversion to win, 29-0.

“We need reps,” Taylor said. “That was the mindset, go in here and get some reps before it counts next week, but we didn’t quite get those.”

Robinson hosts Blake in the team’s regular season opener Friday, August 26. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. for the non-district matchup at Jack Peters Stadium (6311 S. Lois Ave, 33616).