Robinson Falls in Season Opener, Looks to Bounce Back Next Week

Despite tough loss, players and coaches see promise as young roster works to find chemistry

Jasmyn Mitchner, Senior Staff Writer

August 21, 2025

Daereon Campbell (‘27) DB faced up with Plant City offense.

On August 15, the football team opened their season with a tough loss against Plant City High School, falling 47-7. The game marked the team’s first time back on the field since last fall, and while the result wasn’t what players or coaches had hoped for, it gave them a chance to see what needs to be improved as the season continues.

Despite the score, several players stepped up and showed determination on both sides of the ball. Junior Daereon Campbell, who plays defensive back and wide receiver, spoke about his individual performance and the energy of the crowd at Robinson’s home opener.

“I feel like my performance was great. I got a lot of tackles for defense,” Campbell said. He also noted how meaningful it was to play in front of fans again: “Playing in front of the crowd again at home was great, with the high energy of the fans and band. And to show everyone our team and how great we are this season.”

It was also the first time many new players suited up together, giving the Knights a chance to build chemistry that can only come from live game experience. Campbell added that the team is still finding its rhythm after the break.

“I think the team is just getting in tune. They held more practices, and we’re working to get stronger as a group,” he said.

Another player, Senior OLB Tiberius Reuss, also reflected on the game.

“The game results were a little disappointing,” Reuss said. “But, we saw what we needed to work on and hopefully come back better next game.”

Reuss emphasized his mindset and effort on the field: “I think my overall performance showed I’m not gonna quit on the team no matter what the score or circumstance or where I’m at on the field. I’m just gonna give 100% all the time.”

As a senior leader, he knows there’s plenty of time to grow. “I think the team looks decent, but we definitely could’ve looked a lot better. We missed a lot of stuff we need to capitalize on and work to fix.” While it may have only been the preseason opener, Reuss believes the Knights will sharpen up with more reps and preparation.

Head Coach Mike Simmonds acknowledged that the opener was rocky, but he believes the team can respond in the coming weeks.

“We didn’t play very well against a high-level opponent, but the season is just getting started,” Simmonds said. “We’re focused on cleaning things up, and we’ll see a stronger outcome this week.”

Though the scoreboard wasn’t in Robinson’s favor, the Knights remain optimistic. The players are committed to improvement, the coaching staff is working on adjustments, and there’s confidence that the team will rebound as they continue to grow together.

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About the Contributors

Jasmyn Mitchner, Senior Staff Writer

Jasmyn Mitchner is a junior at Robinson in her second year as a staff writer for Knight Writers. Drawn to Journalism quite unexpectedly, Mitchner’s bright journey to newspaper began when she needed to change her first-period class last year. Her sister who was already part of the team suggested her to join the staff. “My sister was in newspaper, and she told me about how great it was. I really liked it; so, I joined,” Mitchner said. In her new and sharp second year, Mitchner is eager to dive deeper into her role and take authority of writing better stories and taking better pictures. Her extracurricular activities include pursuing her sporty passions by playing flag football and soccer. Outside of school, Mitchner’s life is filled with a variety of interests which influence her hobbies. Her hobbies consist of sports, singing, hanging out with friends and traveling. “I travel a lot for soccer,” Mitchner said, highlighting how her love for soccer led to the newfound hobby of traveling. Mitchner has two siblings: an elder sister who has clearly influenced her path, and a younger brother who has just entered the seventh grade. She also has a surprising pet- a fish that adds a whimsical touch to her busy life. “I have a pet fish named Harold, ” Mitchner said. Her plans foreseeing her future after high school include going to college or university, with hopes of getting recruited for collegiate soccer. She wishes to play professional soccer after graduating.

Anika Sanka, Content Co-Editor-in-Chief

Anika Sanka is a senior at Robinson High School and is the co-editor-in-chief (EIC) of the Knight Writers. This is her third year on staff. In her freshman year, even though she wanted to be on newspaper, she chose to do an AP elective. The following year, she joined the newspaper after being recommended to it by her cousin, Vikram Sambasivan, a former EIC of the Knight Writers. “I really wanted to do an elective that wasn’t an AP just to boost my GPA, but something I could actually do something in. I also wanted to improve my writing,” Sanka said. Being an EIC this year, Sanka has many goals for the newspaper as a whole. One of them is to earn an All-Florida award from the Florida Scholastic Press Association. “I think we are very capable of it. I’m honestly so happy I am EIC now,” Sanka said. I now have the position and ability to implement things so we can be a really be a well-structured newspaper and win these awards.” Outside of newspaper, Sanka enjoys spending time playing sports. She is on the varsity track team, but she also likes to find time to play other sports as well. “In middle school, I did rowing for a while; that was fun, but I just wasn’t the best at it. I always found my way back to running. I love track. I love our community, and I love the team. I’ve been dancing for a while. I like doing sports and activities like this just for fun,” Sanka said. When Sanka isn’t running or working, she enjoys spending free time watching 2000s movies with friends. In addition, Sanka doesn’t have a particular favorite music artist, but her favorite music genres are pop, rock, and indie. “[My favorite movie is] ‘She’s the Man.’ It’s a 2000s movie, and it has Amanda Vines in it, and I just love her movies. The 2000s are just so good, and they are comfort movies,” she said. Being a senior, Sanka wants to go to Emory University in Atlanta or the University of Florida. She wants to study law or journalism “It [Emory University] is beautiful, it has nature, and cool extracurriculars. I want to go into law or journalism; something in the English and communications field. They have cool poly-science programs which I want to go into,” Sanka said. (Profile by Allison Bartlett)