Robbinsville set for 1A state title game
Robbinsville – The Black Knights’ win over the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy Gryphons on Friday ensured that a Smoky Mountain Conference team will appear in every 1A state championship football game of the decade.
Robbinsville will now be the Western representative in three of the 10.
The Knights’ already have 13 1A state championships under their belt – dating back to 1969, which includes a stretch of five straight from 1979-83 – and now on the 50th anniversary of title No. 1, Robbinsville is back in the dance again.
“We’re trying to be positive; focus and finish,” Black Knights head coach Dee Walsh said. “Our kids know what the task is and they know what they want to accomplish. As much as they want to have fun, I think they’re going to reel things in and finish strong.”
Back-to-back appearances in 2014-15 yielded one state crown, when the Black Knights defeated Plymouth 21-18. The Vikings then won the rematch, 28-20.
“People always want to compare this team to that team and you can’t do that; the competition is not the same,” Walsh said. “The 2014 and 2015 teams were comparable to the 2008 and 2009 teams; more of the same size lineman and the same size skill players.
“This team is a little different. We’re not real big on the line, but we’re big enough. We’re quick and strong. We have a lot of skill kids; they’re fast enough to get the job done. We’re skilled enough to do a lot of different things.”
Cherokee won its first in school history in 2017, while Murphy won last year’s 1A championship, its fourth of the decade.
However, this season has belonged to the Knights. Robbinsville defeated Murphy 17-14 to win the Smoky Mountain Conference title on Nov. 8 and then put the Bulldogs out of the playoffs with a resounding 24-13 victory. The Knights outscored division opponents this year 252-57 and put up at least 50 points in six straight games, beginning with a non-division road game at Erwin on Sept. 6.
“It’s absolutely awesome. What more could you ask for?,” Walsh said of the Robbinsville fanbase. “They’re totally behind our program. When we ran out of that tunnel in 2015, that stadium erupted. I’d never heard a noise like that and I’m sure it will be the same way on Saturday.
“The fan support really helps these kids; it fires them up.”
Obstacle in the way
Northampton County (No. 4 seed, 11-3) defeated the No. 2-seeded North Edgecombe Warriors 20-12 to win the 1A Eastern Regional Championship. The Jaguars are now the only adversity standing between the No. 1-seeded Black Knights (14-0) and the Smoky Mountain Conference’s seventh state championship of the decade.
Northampton is making its first-ever state championship appearance. The Jaguars went 11-3 during the regular-season – including a 46-28 loss at North Edgecombe on Oct. 4 – and have only won their three playoff games this year by 13 points or less.
Still, Northampton is stocked with 12 seniors and much like Robbinsville, enjoys running the ball. Senior Na’Jae Newsome has 1,347 rushing yards this season, while fellow classmate Semaj Mitchell has accumulated 970. Kwamie Pitt has a mere 338 yards of passing during the season.
“They’re really, really fast and they’re averaging eight yards a carry,” Walsh said. “They really are a good running team. They run the wishbone and run a lot of formations from it. We just have to make sure we line up sound and make sure our kids know their responsibility, because when a team is optioning, it’s assignment football. If someone misses an assignment, you get a big play.
“We feel like we’ve got a good team and they feel like they have a good team. Both teams are good, or they wouldn’t be playing for the state championship. We have to try to be as positive as we can be and believe that we’ve got what it takes to go down there and win this game. If they believe it, then we’re one up.”
State information
Robbinsville and Northampton County will meet Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be played at Duke University’s Wallace-Wade Stadium in Durham.
Admission is $15 per person.
Keep up with real-time updates from the game on Twitter, @KevinHensleyCNI or @thegrahamstar.