Robbinsville posts shutout win for first time since 2021
-
Donovan Carpenter unleashes a pass during the first half of Friday's 26-0 rout over Franklin. Photo by Danielle Crabtree/The Graham Star
Robbinsville – On a night where the stars of tomorrow received pre-game acknowledgement, the Black Knights showed what the expectations are once you reach the high-school level.
Donovan Carpenter aired out a 51-yard missile to Darion Ledbetter; Cuttler Adams had two rushing touchdowns; and Kage Williams sealed the deal on a late-game, 41-yard rumble to cover Robbinsville's offense; the resurrected "Black Knight Swarm" took care of the rest, limiting Franklin to just 135 offensive yards in a 26-0 shutout Friday at Modeal Walsh Memorial (Big Oaks) Stadium.
Roman Jones had two interceptions for Robbinsville (2-0); Franklin (0-2) had very few hope spots throughout the game, with a Wyatt Cantrell fumble recovery proving to be the only counterattack the 3A Panthers could muster in their second-straight game against a Smoky Mountain Conference opponent to open the season (Murphy traveled to Macon County on Aug. 18 and delivered a 41-14 loss to "The Pit.")
Carpenter's laser to Ledbetter came with 9:58 left in the second quarter, breaking the scoreless drought on both sides. Cuttler Adams ran in the two-point conversion, before reaching the end zone on respective 2- and 1-yard pushes in the third and fourth quarters. He finished with 97 yards on 21 attempts, bumping his all-time mark to 4,909.
The final stamp was Williams' breakout run, which came with 2:50 left in the affair, as the senior fullback weaved through active traffic to find an opening just below the recently-installed aluminum bleachers above Bob Colvin Field.
The Black Knights and the Panthers had not met since Sept. 4, 2009, when the programs met for the second game of the campaign, a game Robbinsville won 30-20. Since 1960, Robbinsville holds a 23-18-1 lead in the series. The Knights shutout Franklin in 1967, 32-0; and 1972, 18-0. The Panthers have kept Robbinsville from scoring just once: a 15-0 triumph in 1971.
The blanking was the first the Knights have delivered since thwarting the Andrews Wildcats during the COVID-forced Spring season, a 35-0 road shellacking on April 2, 2021.
Robbinsville hits the road for the first of two away games Friday, Sept. 1 – traveling to Mountain Heritage. Franklin will continue its non-divisional marriage to the Smoky Mountain Conference with a visit to Swain County.
Look for more in the Aug. 31 edition of The Graham Star.
Smoky Mountain Conference Round-Up
-Andrews 54, East Henderson 30;
-Cherokee 47, Cosby (Tenn.) 6;
-Hayesville 55, Madison 21;
-Murphy 13, Commerce (Ga.) 56
-Robbinsville 26, Franklin 0;
-Swain County 14, Smoky Mountain 10.