Murphy – Though the Knights struck first, they did not strike often enough.
Robbinsville (1-1) entered halftime of the March 4 road game at Murphy in a 0-0 deadlock, the result of excellent defense from both programs. However, turnovers proved costly in the final 20 minutes of play, as the Knights fell 14-8 to the Bulldogs.
“The big difference in the game was that Murphy was able to make one more stop,” Robbinsville coach Wren Millsaps said. “It was a game of two really good defenses going toe to toe.”
Zeke Silvers did pick off a first-half, would-be touchdown pass for the Knights, but Robbinsville was unable to capitalize on the momentum. The Black Knights finally broke the stalemate with 4:15 left in the third segment, as Cooper Adams found an opening and sprinted 45 yards to the end zone. Bryce Adams’ conversion run made it 8-0.
Murphy responded with a Jonah Hedden touchdown on its next drive and quarterback Andrew Barolet ran in the conversion. The Bulldogs struck once more in the fourth, with Will Joyner breaking the goal line at the 6:21 mark. Robbinsville was able to thwart the conversion attempt, but could not find the end zone again before the final horn sounded.
“I have a resilient group that is young and ready to learn,” Millsaps added. “There are seven middle school starters on both sides of the ball that you will see improve each and every week.”