Knights fan Wildcats, set for Smoky Mountain Conference title matchup
Andrews – A distinctive buzz lingered over Friday’s Smoky Mountain Conference match-up between Robbinsville and Andrews.
With the Wildcats sitting solely in third place in the division standings, an Andrews win could have disrupted the playoff forecast, as the Black Knights would have been in a must-win situation this Friday at Murphy to force a three-way tie in the standings.
Instead, Robbinsville took care of business. Resoundingly.
A pair of touchdowns in an 8-second span of the first quarter firmly placed the momentum in the Knights corner, as Robbinsville went on to shut out the Wildcats 35-0 at Hugh Hamilton Stadium.
“I was tickled to death. We challenged them a little bit; you try to improve as the season goes on,” said Black Knights head coach Dee Walsh.
“I think we’re getting better as we go. Our kids are enjoying it.”
Andrews (3-2, 3-2) forced a three-and-out on Robbinsville’s opening drive, but Nathan Collins picked off a pass on the Wildcats’ second play from scrimmage.
The Knights took their time on the ensuing possession, finally scoring on a 4-yard run from Lex Hooper.
Robbinsville (6-0, 5-0) caught everyone off-guard on the kickoff that followed, as Cody Cline trickled an onside kick that Cuttler Adams scooped up for the Knights. A quick, 37-yard pass from Collins to Hooper on the next snap put six more on the board for Robbinsville.
Scoring seized until the second quarter, with Hooper pushing across the goal line on a 1-yard carry at the 9:54 mark. On the next drive, Adams would fall on an Andrews fumble and give the Knights the ball once more. Though Isaac Weaver would drop Collins for a loss on the first Robbinsville play that followed, the Black Knights would not be deterred, capping off a 3:20 possession with a 20-yard touchdown reception by Hooper.
Robbinsville continually forced Andrews to punt, only allowing seven first downs throughout the evening. The Knights struck once more early in the fourth, on a 3-yard scoring carry by Ty Harrell. Isaac Wiggins recovered an Andrews fumble on the ensuing kickoff to put a stamp the victory.
Cline went a perfect 5-for-5 on PATs during the game to fill out the scoreline.
“We’ve been letting our first group play more and more,” Walsh explained. “We wanted to work on our passing game. Nathan was excited to do that.
“We’re getting to where we need to be, but we’re not there yet; we want to improve as we go.”
Conference title game
In a repeat of the 2019 campaign, the Smoky Mountain Conference has came down to Robbinsville and Murphy. The Knights will host the division championship game Friday at Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Both teams sit at 6-0 during this shortened season. The Knights traveled to Murphy on Nov. 8, 2019 and clinched the crown in a hard-fought, 17-14 win. Robbinsville went on to finish the year 15-0 and secure its 14th 1A state championship in the process, besting the Bulldogs again in the third round of the postseason, 24-13.
“They’re really good. They’re big up front,” Walsh said. “It’ll be a hard-fought game. We like to think our kids work harder and do better, but that’s why you play the game: to see who’s going to win.
“We know they feel the same way we do; we’re the competition and they want to beat us. They were the big dogs and we’ve kind of took that away.”