Robbinsville wins 2nd-straight conference crown, topple Murphy
Robbinsville – How appropriate that the Smoky Mountain Conference title game once again came down to Robbinsville and Murphy.
Obviously no strangers to each other, the Black Knights (7-0, 6-0) and the Bulldogs (6-1, 5-1) met in the divisional title game in 2019, which Robbinsville won 17-14. The Knights then went on to dispose of Murphy in the third round of the postseason en route to the program’s 14th 1A state championship.
With all eyes on Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium for the 2020-21 championship matchup, Robbinsville rose to the occasion again, vanquishing the Bulldogs 17-7 to clinch not only the Knights’ 22nd-straight victory, but top billing in the Smoky Mountain Conference for the 25th time in school history.
“What a team effort,” senior Wade Hamilton said. “We’re feeling great about this. We always want to win this (the conference title), and now it’s two years in a row.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight from the get-go. We knew we had to make plays and capitalize on them. They’re a good football team; we just capitalized and scored when we needed to.”
The first quarter was all Robbinsville. An 11-play opening drive ate nearly 51/2 minutes off the clock, ending when quarterback Nathan Collins rode behind a 1-yard push from his offensive line to pick up the first touchdown of the evening.
“To be able to do this, make the town and the community proud, means a lot to us. It’s all we could ever ask for,” Collins said. “We just stuck to what our coaches taught us; they did a good job preparing us for this game. I gotta give credit to my teammates for pushing through and never giving up.
“The blocking of the offensive line made some holes and the defensive line put a lot of pressure on the (Murphy) quarterback. I’m just proud of my team. Everyone played well.”
Murphy was promptly forced to go three-and-out on its first attempt, giving the Knights the ball back just 90 seconds after Robbinsville relinquished possession. In response to the charity, the Black Knights ran 15 more plays as the action spilled into the second stanza. The Bulldogs did later get the ball back on a fourth-down turnover, but were unable to take advantage.
Robbinsville needed just nine plays to find paydirt again, scoring on Lex Hooper’s 1-yard weave at the 3:24 mark of the second. Hooper has seen the most touches of any ball carrier for the Knights this season.
“I really enjoy playing with these guys,” Hooper said. “We’ve built a good bond over these seven weeks, going from not even knowing if we were going to get to play. Coming off a big year last year – winning out – and this town expects success.
“We had a lot of people step up tonight. Our offensive line did its job, no matter who they put in there. They don’t get much credit, but they blocked their hind end off tonight. Defensively, we were sound. Everybody hustles to the ball and played great.”
Isaac Wiggins later made sure the Bulldogs would not score again before halftime, booting a 79-yard punt that was scooped up at the Murphy 1-yard line.
The Knights led 14-0 at the break, but Murphy would not go down without a fight. The Bulldogs stormed out in the second half with a 42-yard run from Ray Rathburn. The drive seemingly stalled, but Kellen Rumfelt was later able to locate Cole Laney for a 25-yard scoring pass. Annie Kate Dalton’s extra point made it 14-7.
But that proved to be the end of Murphy’s offense. Robbinsville put the game out-of-reach behind a combination of stubborn defense and a 29-yard field goal by Cody Cline, which came with 9:23 left in the game.
The final play of the contest came on a punt, which Murphy only managed to return to the 40-yard line. As the confetti shot off in the air and the home side of the bleachers erupted, reality began to set in.
“Now that it’s time for the playoffs, we’re only going to see teams that are good,” Hamilton said. “It’s going to be a tough road, but we’ll be alright.”
“(Head) Coach (Dee) Walsh looked at me and asked me if I thought we could run a certain play and I told him I thought it was there,” Hooper said. “He called it the second play of the game, and I ran it for 30 yards.”
Phoenix up next
Robbinsville received the No. 2 seed in the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s random drawing for the postseason and will welcome the Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy Phoenix (No. 7 seed, 5-2) in the first round Friday.
Kickoff under the Big Oaks is at 7:30 p.m.
The Phoenix went 3-2 in the Northwest 1A Conference this season. Their offense is led by junior quarterback Timothy Davis (117/196, 2,093 passing yards) and senior running back Tresean Stewart (780 receiving yards; 636 rushing). Free safety Antwan Springs leads the Winston-Salem defense with 51 tackles.
“It’s athlete-heaven; they spread out all over the field,” coach Knight analyzed. “We’re just hoping to keep ahold of the ball. That’s our philosophy; if we can hold onto the ball, drive down and score – and get a few stops in the game – we’ll be alright.
“I’m just so tickled with our defense. Our coaches are doing a great job scheming and over the last few years, our kids have really bought in to what we’re teaching.”
The game will be streamed on justagamelive.com and broadcast on radio via WBHN-94.1 FM.
No presale tickets will be sold, and passes bought for the regular season will not be honored. Tickets will go on sale at 6 p.m. the evening of the game. Admission is $8.