D-fens!

Hayesville – There’s an old adage that goes something like this: “You can’t have a good offense without great defense.”

Though the Hayesville Yellow Jackets came out swinging on their home turf Friday, Robbinsville (2-0) quickly recouped and scored 31 unanswered points – behind the strength of four interceptions and one fumble return – to cruise to a 38-14 win.

“It was good for us to have a little adversity; the kids weren’t as focused as they should have been when we started,” Robbinsville head coach Dee Walsh said. “But that got their attention. “The good thing is, our first group – on both sides of the ball – got to play a lot. You play yourself into shape.”

The Jackets (0-2) caught everyone off guard with an onside kick to begin the contest, which Hayesville promptly recovered. The Jackets marched downfield – which included a halfback pass on the first offensive snap – and soon scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Logan Caldwell to Blake McClure and after the extra point lead 7-0.

From there, it was all Black Knights.

Robbinsville’s response began with a 1-yard dive from Cuttler Adams on the subsequent possession. Brock Adams would pick off Caldwell on the next Hayesville drive and the action spilled into the second quarter, where Cody Cline nailed a 39-yard field goal to put the Knights ahead 10-7.

“I told the team as we were watching the film, ‘You don’t realize it, but once we settled down and got over the shock of two trick plays, we scored, hit that field goal and really didn’t look back,’” Walsh said. “They didn’t really threaten again.”

Cuttler Adams found paydirt again on a 4-yard run later in the second, before snagging a Caldwell pass on the next series. Wade Hamilton also got in on the interception fun before halftime, before Cuttler ran in an 18-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

The Knights finished its reply when Dasan Gross scooped up a Jackets fumble and sprinted 74 yards for a touchdown.

Hayesville did score once more in the fourth – a 4-yard pass from Caldwell to Kyle Lunsford – but Rossi Wachacha would end up with Robbinsville’s fourth interception of the evening later in the period and freshman Kage Williams scored on a 1-yard push to cap off the triumph.

“The defense is doing good, but so is the offense; we haven’t punted the ball in two games,” Walsh added.

Warriors visit

Robbinsville’s homecoming festivities Friday will be wedged between the Knights’ only non-conference game of the year, as Erwin (1-1) visits for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Big Oaks Stadium.

The Warriors knocked off North Buncombe 35-21 to begin the 2021 season, but fell 49-29 to A.C. Reynolds on Friday. Robbinsville fell behind 21-0 at Erwin last year, but thundered back with 54 straight points to seize the victory.

Walsh has had the chance to screen film on the Warriors and knows what lies ahead, but is confident that if Robbinsville plays its style of football, the Knights will take care of business.

“They’re big and strong up front; they’ve got super speed around the perimeter,” Walsh said of the Warriors. “Their offense is really good; their quarterback transferred over from Pisgah (Korey Griffith); he’s over 200 pounds, and can run and scramble. They try to open him up and let him do what he feels good about. If you leave people uncovered, he’s going to throw it to him immediately. He had one, 80-yard run against North Buncombe. Their defense up front is solid and their four defensive backs are really fast; they also line up at receiver for them.

“Our objective is going to play our game and not worry about their game; we’ll do our best to stop them and do what we like to do: keep the ball and have good drives, so we can try to score points.”