Robbinsville enters bye week 7-0
Robbinsville – Coming into Friday’s game, there was a lot of buzz surrounding the Hayesville Yellow Jackets, who entered the Big Oaks fresh off a bye week and a 4-1 record.
However, a touchdown two plays into the game quickly sapped any momentum Hayesville thought it had, as the Black Knights (7-0) scored four times in the first quarter and cruised to a 55-10 win as a result.
“Our kids seem to be getting it,” Robbinsville head coach Dee Walsh said. “We’ve worried about playing with emotions and intensity, but the last two games we’ve brought that.
“We started the game playing hard, ready to play. When you do that, you get a lead and it’s fun.”
Rylee Anderson would have back-to-back carries of 55 and 5 yards on the first two snaps of the game, with the latter netting a touchdown. Following a Rossi Wachacha fumble recovery, Lex Hooper would score on a 2-yard push.
A fake punt by Hayesville during the next drive resulted in a first down, but was called back on a holding penalty. Once Robbinsville got the ball back, Hooper promptly sprinted 67 yards to the house. Kamron McGuire would pick off Jackets quarterback Hayden McClure on a deep pass during the ensuing possession, which gave way to a lengthy Knights drive that ended with a 5-yard run into the end zone by Anderson.
Hooper broke the plane again on a 6-yard carry midway through the second stanza, before a Seth Lawson interception would thwart Hayesville’s next attempt. Clayson Lane found the goal line on a 5-yard carry, and following Cody Cline’s sixth consecutive extra point Robbinsville led 42-0.
The game was denied a running clock in the second half, as Hayesville finally found paydirt on a 27-yard touchdown pass from McClure to Payton Ivester. Robbinsville maintained control by stopping the first Jackets drive of the third quarter, when Xavier Rattler recovered a Hayesville fumble.
The Jackets had a glimmer of hope in the aftermath, as a Knights’ punt was blocked and Hayesville had the ball at the Robbinsville 13. Though the Knights’ defense hunkered down, the Jackets tacked on its final three points on a 25-yard Kylan Bunch field goal. Bunch would later attempt a 43-yarder that bounced off the front of the goalpost in the fourth.
Robbinsville’s final two scores came on a 7-yard Hooper carry in the closing seconds of the third and a 51-yard rumble by Hunter Blevins with 4:54 left in the ballgame. A Kayden Brock fumble recovery during the waning seconds of regulation would later seal the deal.
“The coaching staff is doing an awesome job,” Walsh added. “The kids are all in and everything is going smooth.”
The Knights’ defense was nightmarish for Hayesville’s line all evening. Anderson posted three sacks, while both Hooper and Logan Sellers recorded one each.
Not to mention the aforementioned fumble recoveries and interceptions that made life rough on the Jackets.
“I think a little bit of the early part of the defense (struggles) was because they weren’t in game shape,” Walsh explained. “It was hot, and we try not to kill them in the preseason. We know it’s a long season.
“We run a lot now. I think that has a lot to do with it. They’ve got enough energy to try hard.”
Time to rest
A run of seven straight games have finally brought Robbinsville to its bye week, which the Black Knights will gladly take before shifting to a road game at Cherokee on Friday, Oct. 18. Kickoff at Ray Kinsland Stadium will be at 7:30 p.m.
“We’ll try to eliminate some contact this week,” Walsh said. “We’ll just try to stay conditioned and work on some team stuff, but not with any tackling.
“After seven straight games, we’re kind of sore. We’re going to try and let some nagging injuries heal.”