Robbinsville thwarts defending JV champs
Robbinsville – In a season full of ultra-rarities, a Monday afternoon junior varsity football game in the spring might take the cake.
But in the face of the unusual hand they were dealt, the Robbinsville Black Knights laid down a royal flush.
Robbinsville (2-1) avenged a loss to the Andrews Wildcats last season in convincing fashion, shutting out the defending junior varsity champs 32-0 at Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium.
"I have a lot of faith in this team," JV head coach Wren Millsaps said. "They're resilient, they're young and they're hungry. They're tired of reading online that because they've lost just one game, they're going to finish in third place."
The Knights' first two trips to the end zone came in the aftermath of a pair of Daniel Phillips' fumble recoveries in the first quarterback. Cooper Adams scored on a 33-yard run with 4:14 left in the segment, while Bryce Adams posted a 6-yard scoring dash following the next turnover.
Robbinsville's defense continued to shine in the second half, with Zeke Silvers recording a 52-yard pick six with 3:01 left in the third. Alexis Panama later capped off the Knights' offensive onslaught with 55 seconds left in the contest, weaving through heavy traffic and finding an opening to cross the goal line on a 62-yard sprint.
"I can't say enough about Alexis Panama; he made plays on both sides of the ball," Millsaps said. "I'm super proud of all of our linebackers."
Paxton Waters, Bryce Adams and Isaac Picon handled conversion duties to flesh out the final tally, while Daniel Phillips posted two sacks and Quinn Jumper added one to slow Andrews' progress.
"Defense has been a strength for us in all three games," Millsaps said. "We've given up 20 points this season. I don't think you can ask for much more than that.
"Big Daniel is just an eighth-grader, and he's out here making an impact on both sides of the ball. We took the past two weeks to get better and he's one of the ones that did."
In his first game as starting quarterback – Donovan Carpenter was recently promoted to the varsity squad – Christian Phillips kept the offense in at a high tempo, something that was not lost on Millsaps.
"I've said all season that Donovan is 1A and Christian is 1B (at quarterback); I have never worried about which one is in, because they're both going to do the right thing," Millsaps said. "They're both smart, good kids and they're going to be successful at the varsity level."
The Knights moved onto an even-more unusual situation: another game two days later. Robbinsville hosted Hayesville on just one day of rest after press time Wednesday due to the threat of heavy rain today.
"If we come in Tuesday and do what we're supposed to do, then we will be alright," Millsaps said.