Knights down Bulldogs, advance to second-straight Western final
Robbinsville – Long after most everyone was finished with their holiday shopping, Robbinsville took advantage of a home-field discount.
The Black Knights (13-0) welcomed the Bulldogs (10-3) for the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association class 1A playoffs Friday, a mere three weeks after Robbinsville clinched its first Smoky Mountain Conference title since 2015 at Murphy.
A remarkable defensive effort kept the Bulldogs at-bay for much of the game, as the Knights held Murphy to just 71 first-half yards and used two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Nathan Collins to propel their way into their second-straight 1A Western Regional Final, defeating the reigning 1A state champions 24-13.
“We had a dominant performance,” Robbinsville head coach Dee Walsh said. “Our kids won the battle upfront. They’ve got a couple of really good lineman, and that’s tough to deal with that size and strength, but our kids managed to give us enough holes to score enough points.”
The Knights promptly marched 68 yards downfield and milked almost 6 ½ minutes off the clock on the first possession of the game, finally ending the drive on a 7-yard keeper from Collins. He would later score again in the third, rushing in from 9 yards out.
“It was pretty special, but I couldn’t have done it without our offensive line. It’s all on them,” Collins said of his two scores. “We watched film, and we learned what we could do better (after the first Murphy game). We came up with some new plays and we used them tonight. It really worked.
The Knights would later parlay the momentum built by back-to-back sacks on Murphy quarterback Kellen Rumfelt in the second quarter – thanks to the keen awareness of Robbinsville’s Carlos Wesley and Grady Garland – into a 36-yard field goal for Cody Cline, which extended the advantage to 10-0. A pivotal interception by Colby Lovin just before halftime would later de-rail another Murphy drive and send the Bulldogs into the locker room, scoreless.
Though Justice Dorsey would take a reverse handoff 36 yards to the house for the first Murphy touchdown of the game early in the third quarter, Collins’ second touchdown and a 1-yard push from Lex Hooper in the fourth would put the game out-of-reach.
Rumfelt and Dorsey would make an 11-yard connection with 3:11 left in the game, but Robbinsville held tough by recovering the subsequent onside kick and after Kamron McGuire picked off a Rumfelt pass, the team that prevented the Black Knights from reaching the 1A state title game last season was eliminated.
“This is why you play the game; night’s like this,” defensive coordinator Lucas Ford said. “We gave up some points, but I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.
“They work their butts off and anytime you can beat Murphy – once in a season is great, but twice – this is a big game. Our defensive effort was phenomenal.”
“That’s our team,” Walsh added.
“Our coaches do an awesome job, and our kids had a good mental attitude. The coaches put them in the right position and it paid off.”
Gryphons flying in
The Knights next host Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy (No. 3 seed, 12-1) in the 1A Western title game Friday.
Robbinsville and the Gryphons are no strangers to one another, as the only meeting between the two squads took place in the third round of the playoffs last year, a road game the Black Knights won 32-13.
“It’s the same type of offense and defense they ran last year, but the kids are a year older,” Walsh said of Thomas Jefferson. “They’ve got a lot of seniors. They’ve got two 6-foot-4 receivers; one that can absolutely fly. The quarterback is a sophomore, but he’s very effective. He’s a much better passer than last year’s quarterback, but he doesn’t seem to run as fast as the kid from last year.
“If we do what we’re supposed to do, we should have a chance. We always want a chance, and we think if we can get one, we can do our part.”
The winner of Robbinsville/Thomas Jefferson will face either North Edgecombe (No. 2 East seed) or Northampton County (No. 4) in the 1A state championship game at Duke University on Saturday, Dec. 14.