TAMPA, Fla. – While most people in Tampa Bay were still sleeping, the Robinson High flag football team got in one last practice before they played for their sixth-straight state championship. 

With the sun barely peeking out on the day, the Knights ran through the paces.

When you win as much as the Knights do, dynasty doesn’t even define their program. Two days after that early morning practice, Robinson won its sixth-straight title and seventh overall. And soon after they hoisted that championship trophy, the team held its annual end of the year banquet.

It takes a village to keep a well-oiled machine like the Robinson Knights running, and these Knights have a ton of support. They’ve had it from the very beginning. Early on, before Robinson had developed into a dynasty, the Knights had a super fan, Janine Dorsey.

“She was really proud of us and really proud of the sport,” Kelly Dorsey said.

Janine’s daughters Erin and Kelly played for the Knights and that’s what initially sparked her fandom. And she was very vocal with her support.

“If you needed to find where the Robinson flag team was, you just had to listen for her voice,” Kelly said.

That voice ended on May 11, 2021. Janine and her boyfriend, Peter Yore, were mowed down by a drunk driver while they rode their tandem bicycle on the Pinellas Trail. 

A life so full and vibrant was suddenly gone. And the Robinson Knights wanted to honor one of their biggest fans.

“Janine was one of those people who said Coach, just tell us what you need and we’re going to make sure that you have it,” Robinson head coach Joshua Saunders said. “She was one of those things that said we spare no expense for our kids. Whether it’s with time or money or effort or energy. And she gave us a lot of energy from those stands.”

So now, every year, a scholarship in Janine’s name will be presented to a player who embodies all of her outstanding qualities. This year, just two weeks after the one-year anniversary of her mom’s death, Kelly presented the award.

There were a lot of tears. And a lot of laughter. A celebration of another championship. And a celebration of a life that left this earth way too soon, but one that left a lasting legacy that will forever be honored by the Robinson flag football team.

“Obviously it’s a big hole that we’re missing,” Kelly said. “But I think if she had to pick any cause to have a scholarship for this would have been her favorite. Her memory is going to live on and it will be tied to something that she cared so much about.”