Knights prepped for Swain showdown
Cherokee – A pair of touchdowns on kickoff returns padded another dominant night of Black Knights football.
Fresh off a bye week, Robbinsville (8-0, 3-0) traveled to Cherokee (2-7, 1-3) for the resumption of Smoky Mountain Conference play Friday night. The game traveled the same formula as recent outings, with the Black Knights putting 28 unanswered points on the board dictating control in a 55-20 win.
Setting the tone at the outset, Kamron McGuire snagged the opening kickoff at the 4-yard line and promptly weaved through the Cherokee defense for an eventual 96-yard scoring return.
“We don’t get the ball back there much, because Rylee (Anderson) is back there, too,” head coach Dee Walsh said of the jumpstart. “But we had a good wedge set up, and their defense just split. We don’t get that much. People don’t realize how quick Kamron is.”
Following the first Braves drive – which included Candler Edwards dropping Cherokee quarterback Bobby Crowe for a sack, the first of two Edwards had in the game – Lex Hooper carried Robbinsville’s second snap from scrimmage 80 yards for a touchdown. Rylee Anderson would find the end zone on a 37-yard rush during the Knights’ next drive, before scoring early in the second quarter on a 2-yard push.
Cherokee finally scored after a 3-yard Crowe pass to Sterling Santa Maria capped off a lengthy Braves possession and
looked to grab some momentum after forcing a Robbinsville turnover. But the first carry in the aftermath was fumbled and McGuire fell on top of it, halting the effort.
Nathan Collins and Seth Lawson would get another Black Knights touchdown on a 20-yard pass over the middle.
Cherokee would reply just before halftime on a 34-yard heave from Crowe to Sarron Johnson.
Anderson and Hooper would score on respective 1- and 3-yard carries in the third quarter, while Cherokee’s final touchdown came with 2:54 left in the segment, a 6-yard pass from Crowe to Johnson. Robbinsville stamped the victory moments later, with Hooper taking the ensuing kickoff 67 yards to the house.
“Their quarterback is really good,” Walsh said of Crowe. “Every time we would try to blitz from the outside, he would pick up on it and go right in behind it.
Shout at the Devils
Swain (7-1, 3-1) is coming off a heartbreaking 15-14 home loss to Murphy (7-1, 3-0), a game that saw David Gentry become the all-time winningest head coach in North Carolina high school football history.
With Robbinsville the only undefeated team left in the conference, Friday’s Hall of Fame night against the Maroon Devils could have both division title and playoff implications.
“They’re huge up front,” Walsh said of the challenge facing Robbinsville. “Their line is compatible to Smoky Mountain and Murphy’s. We’re not as big, but we’re quick, and we hope to hit our blocks and get by.
“It’ll be fun. Our kids are ready for something like this. Our full intention is to win.”