Robbinsville – The Black Knights will play on.
A 40-22 win over the Alleghany Trojans (4-9) in the second round of the 1A state playoffs Thursday night stamped Robbinsville's (12-0) ticket to the third round of the postseason, with the Knights set to face Smoky Mountain Conference foe the Murphy Bulldogs, who defeated Winston-Salem Prep 64-44 on Thursday.
Lex Hooper recorded a hat trick for Robbinsville, rushing for a team-high 145 yards on 25 carries. Seth Lawson's 155 yards on six receptions led the outside core, while Nathan Collins went 9-for-13 and finished with 217 yards in the air.
The Knights led 27-14 at halftime, but Alleghany made things interesting by scoring midway through the third quarter and cutting Robbinsville's lead to 27-22. But the Knights defense hunkered down from that points forward, including stopping the Trojans twice on fourth down after Alleghany pieced together some lengthy possessions.
A more detailed recap of tonight's victory will appear in the Thanksgiving edition of The Graham Star.