Kevin Hensley
Publisher/Editor
The Graham Star
Seven hours before kickoff, the junior varsity Black Knights found out their home finale had been switched to Swain County – a move necessitated by poor field conditions, spurned by heavy rainfall.
And at halftime, Robbinsville had not scored.
But with the adversity faced notwithstanding, the Knights did not quit. Instead, Robbinsville (4-1) surged back and shut out the hosting Devils in the second half, scoring twice to aid the cause and closing out a decisive 14-12 win.
Everything that could go wrong for Robbinsville in the first half did. The Knights received the ball to begin the game and churned their way downfield, but the over-7 minute possession ended with Swain’s Cole Wikle scooping up a Robbinsville fumble at the 12-yard line. The Maroon Devils needed just two minutes to strike, scoring on a 49-yard run from Josh Collins.
Dawson Cody would pick off a Knights pass early in the second quarter and the Devils cashed in on the gift, with Lawson Woodard dropping an 8-yard pass into the arms of Carter Hayes for another Swain touchdown.
The two teams traded turnovers until the third quarter. With the Devils pushing again, Robbinsville hunkered down and stopped the momentum at the 26-yard line. Cooper Adams would then carry the ball five consecutive times and aided by a pair of off sides penalties on the host, would soon cross the goal line at the 2:45 mark. The Black Knights opted to stay the course, handing Adams the ball for the conversion run, which cut Swain’s lead to 12-8.
Robbinsville would recover the ensuing onside kick and find paydirt on the first snap of the fourth quarter, with Adams breaking through for a 15-yard scoring run. Swain took back over with plenty of time on the clock and worked its way to the 14-yard line, but the drive ended with Zeke Silvers breaking up a would-be scoring pass from Woodard to Hayes, forcing a turnover.
With the final seconds of the game ticking away, the Knights ran out of time to run off the clock and were forced to punt with six seconds to go. Swain’s last act of desperation was a halfback pass, but the effort was thwarted before the deed could be completed and Robbinsville was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.