Robbinsville knocks off Murphy in third-round showdown
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The Robbinsville Black Knights get set at the line of scrimmage during the second half of Friday's 24-13 third-round playoff win over Murphy. Photo by Kevin Hensley/editor@grahamstar.com
Robbinsville – Last year's 1A Western Regional Final pitted Murphy against Robbinsville.
This year, that same match-up took place … only one round sooner.
The Black Knights (13-0) welcomed the Bulldogs (10-3) for the third round of the playoffs Friday, a mere three weeks after Robbinsville clinched its first Smoky Mountain Conference title since 2015 at Murphy.
A remarkable defense effort kept the Bulldogs at-bay for much of the game, while Robbinsville quarterback Nathan Collins scored two rushing touchdowns in a 24-13 win over the reigning 1A state champions.
In addition to Collins' two rushing touchdowns, Cody Cline kicked a 36-yard field goal and Lex Hooper pushed across the goal line for a 1-yard score.
Murphy was shut out the entire first half – recording an unusually-low 71 yards of offense during the first two stanzas – but Justice Dorsey would score on a 36-yard reverse handoff early in the third. Bulldogs quarterback Kellen Rumfelt later connected with Dorsey on an 11-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter.
Robbinsville will now host Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in the 1A Western title game Friday, Dec. 6.
A more detailed recap of tonight's action will appear in the Dec. 5 edition of The Graham Star.