On a picturesque Thursday evening, the flag football team took down the Hillsborough terriers 46-0, winning them a ticket to states as the regional champions. Despite the massive lead ending in a victory for the Knights, there is one win the team has been eyeing all year. The flag football team has had one goal since the start of their summer training, re-claiming their #1 state title.
“After this, we still have to stay focused and locked in and prep for the next teams that we’ve got to play in this stage,” Ava Godfrey (’25) said.
The athleticism of these young women is not lost to the students of Robinson, as any passer-by walking or driving down Manhattan can see them on the field in the wee hours of the morning and late into the night. However, having the skills to win games is only half the battle. From the sidelines and the stands, head coach Joshua Saunders can be seen yelling this at players reminders to “keep your head straight.” What may seem like a posture correction to an untrained ear, this serves as a reminder for his players to keep there heads squared on the task in front of them.
“So they look around and you’ve got all these banners, right? Everything has to be earned. The reason every one of these banners is there is because every one of these state-title winning teams has locked down the process of preparing for the game,” Head Coach Joshua Saunders said. “We talked about it today, keeping your head still and not trying to look ahead. When we talk about catching footballs, making plays, we talk about winning games.”
Aside from the goal of states being so close to secured with this regional win, the final whistle-blow of the game is a bitter sweet moment for the seniors of the team. The game against the terriers was the last match for the class of 2025 on Dewey Mitchell field, signaling the end of an era for the athletes. However, their work on the team is not quite done yet.
“Robinson flag has kind of made my whole career way better than what it could have been. I’m just very grateful to be part of Robinson flag,” Hadyn Spano, senior and 3rd year starting quarterback said. “In states it’s definitely more pressure, but of course thats gonna come with a bigger award.”
The state championship games will be held at the AdventHealth Training center, right here in Tampa. The varsity flag team will travel down Dale Mabry to the Buccaneer’s training center for their games on May 9-10.
“So we have six days of practice for state championship practice. We need that feeling that we’re going to feel while going on the field that needs to be out here at every practice,” Saunders said.
The players and the school alike are hopeful to see yet another state championship games banner go up on the fence of the humble Robinson football stadium, but only time will tell as the knights face the biggest challenge of their season. The pressure and the performance of the state championship games.
“We’ve said over and over and over again, we’re not playing Riverview or Leto or Steinbrenner, or even Lennard or Alonso, We’re playing for the state championship all the time,” Saunders said. “Every game our mindset is to make sure thats where we end up.”
