Storms proved to be no obstacle for the Knights last Friday night. After lightning pushed back the start time by two hours, Robinson defeated Leto 62-0 in the first regular season football game.

“It’s a good start. It’s a long process and this is a good step for them,” Head coach Craig Everhart said. “They needed to see that they could win a football game like this to start the season.”

The Knights got off to an early start when quarterback Kobe Copple (’19) ran the ball into the end zone twice within the first eight minutes of the game. Copple led the team with 70 rushing yards and 142 passing yards throughout the night.

Wide receivers Quinton Lane (’19) and Louis Kirchgessner (’20) both made 45-yard catches that allowed Robinson to put up 49 points in the first half.

Defensively, Cameron Lockridge (’19) had two interceptions and defensive tackle Tim Meech (’19) forced the Falcon’s offense to be unproductive with extensive pressure.

The Knights changed up both sides of the ball during the second half, filling the field with primarily underclassmen, in preparation for next week’s matchup against Plant High School and future district competitor, Jesuit High School. The Knights only put up 13 points in the second half, but continued to shut out Leto’s offense.

“We have to do a better job of rolling our personnel, especially on the offensive and defensive lines. We will play teams where all of their linemen go one way only. ” Everhart said. “We need to stay healthy and fresh. That’s where the younger guys come in. Those younger players, those sophomores, stepped in tonight and have become more than just roll players.”

Robinson faces South Tampa rival Plant High School on Friday, August 27, at Robinson High School (6311 S Lois Ave, 33616). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“Starting off with a win is great but it’s a new week with a tougher opponent,” Copple said. “There’s more preparing than goes into this week.”