Despite falling behind due to early woes, Robinson kept it a close game with the Chamberlain Chiefs, ultimately failing to complete the comeback and losing the game 26-19.

“We took a very good perennial playoff team right down to the wire” Head Coach Craig Everhart said.

With the Knights having a 3-5 record coming into the game with two games left on the schedule, Robinson looked to win the game and try to secure their second straight 5-5 season.

In the first quarter, quarterback Rickeem Parks (’22) had two early turnovers, first a pick-six and then a lost fumble, that resulted in a 13-0 deficit. Despite the early turnovers, Parks fired back with a first quarter touchdown of his own with advice from his coaches and his dad, which helped close the gap.

“I just listened to my dad and forgot about it,” Parks said. “left it in the past.”

The two teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter, and the Knights trailed 19-13 heading into the second half. The Knights wasted no time to start the third quarter, scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the half and tying the score up 19-19.

“Like I told the kids I’m proud of the effort,” Everhart said. “When you’re kind of in an in between year…you look for those things.”

The Chiefs responded with a third quarter touchdown, and kept the Knights from scoring for the rest of the third quarter. The Knights marched down the field late in hopes for a late fourth quarter miracle, but the Chiefs snuffed out any chance for a Robinson comeback, holding them on fourth down and escaping with the victory.

Despite the loss, coach Everhart noticed bright spots on his team heading into next season, one of them being receiver Isaiah Calabaza (’22).

“We needed a little help at receiver and they were looking at some of our other guys. He got open and made it happen.” Everhart said. ” And that’s what it’s all about, that’s the sign that things are going well and that things are moving in the right direction when you see the young guys being able to start to step up and become real play-makers.”

The Knights have one more game left on the calendar, their rivals the Plant Panthers. Both teams are going into the game 3-6, so whichever team wins will walk out with the better overall record, as well as bragging rights. The Knights have not beaten the Panthers in over a decade, so they will be looking to make history.

The Knights will play the Plant Panthers at Plant High school on Friday, November 1. (2415 S Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33629).