For only the sixth time in the last two decades, the Robinson Knights(Fla.) junior varsity team lost a game ahead of their national high school girls flag football matchup with Lennard (Fla.).

With the Knights entering the contest at No. 4 and the Longhorns at No. 9, respectively, it had Robinson head coach Josh Saunders wondering if his squad would lose their home opener against Lennard. Senior quarterback Paige Halverson threw four touchdowns and led the Knights to a 27-13 victory on Thursday night in South Tampa.

“We played really well on offense,” Saunders said to Rivals. “It’s as good as we’ve looked in an early competitive game in a really long time. I was pleased with the defense with the first couple drives. Really helpful. We turnaround and play South Tampa rival Plant on Monday night is going to be a big boost. Paige to have her first varsity start and throw four touchdowns helps confidence wise. To get that first victory in as our first game will hopefully be a springboard into the rest of our season.”

Robinson (1-0) opened up the game with a 11-play drive and going down the field, ending with a Halverson touchdown pass. The Knights after forcing Lennard to a three and out, scored again to go up 13-0 and eventually built up a 27-6 lead.

Lennard (1-1) began mounting a comeback and got to within 27-13, but weren’t able to get any closer down the stretch. The Longhorns opened the season on Tuesday night with a 32-0 rout of St. Petersburg.

Halverson, who distributed the ball finished the game completing 26 of 38 passes for 218 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Junior wide receivers Annie Keith (six catches, 80 yards) and Sarah Williams (five catches, 42 yards), both contributed by scoring two touchdowns.

Next game for Robinson is a Monday night South Tampa showdown with Plant.