Robbinsville Black Knights
With Robbinsville's latest trip to a state-title game in the record books, the 2025 All-Smoky Mountain Conference football team can finally be unveiled.
How fitting that the 1A Western Regional champions ended up with a whopping 13 players on the list, as Isiac Collins, Dane Daniels, Kellen Ensley, Benton Gibby, Luke Lovin and Kyzik Teesateskie each were named to the All-Conference list.
Meanwhile, Kasen Buchanan, John Dominguez, Tucker Jones, Christian Koeller, Zander Lucksavage, Xamuel Wachacha and Ryelon Waldroup all received an Honorable Mention.
All-Conference
Collins was a threat for the 10-4 Black Knights, no matter where he was on the field. Collins rushed for 808 yards on 122 carries, while scoring 10 times on the ground; and was third on the team in tackles, finishing the year with 67 to his credit (38 solo). He also had an interception.
Daniels was a formidable lineman, with the 6'5" athlete dropping 40 would-be runners (27 solo) during the season. Ensley recorded 63 tackles (44 solo) and four sacks.
Gibby had a breakout year, both offensively and defensively. The sophomore rushed for 439 yards on 49 touches, scoring four times; and was second on the team in tackles, posting 84 (50 solo). He also reeled in a pair of picks.
At quarterback, Lovin led the 1A classification with 1,325 passing yards. He was 85-of-146 in the air, throwing 15 touchdown passes; and also logged 344 rushing yards across 68 scrambles, finding the end zone five times. He also pulled down three interceptions while playing on defense.
Teesateskie was nightmarish after switching to the backfield for his senior year, leading the team with 876 yards on the ground in 110 attempts and 18 touchdowns. He also caught 16 passes for 277 yards and penciled in three receiving scores for good measure.
Honorable mentions
Buchanan collected 54 tackles (32 solo) and three sacks to cap his senior campaign. Dominguez finished his final year with 53 tackles (36 solo) and one sack, while Jones was responsible for 280 receiving yards on 23 catches and four touchdowns. Koeller logged 32 tackles (26 solo) and five sacks.
Lucksavage took care of kicking duties for the Black Knights. A last-minute call-up from the JV roster, Lucksavage overdelivered on expectations by completing 54-of-64 PATs and nailing 3-of-4 field goals – including a game-winner at the final horn against Swain County.
Wachacha turned in 43 tackles (28 solo) and three interceptions; and Waldroup was the team's leading tackler, finishing with 96 (61 solo) to his credit. Waldroup also was responsible for one interception.