Robbinsville – You really cannot fault the athletic department for being unable to discern between the two.
The Ed Jackson Award is given at the end of the yearly R-Club Banquet to Robbinsville High School’s Most Valuable Male and Female Athlete of the Year. For the first time in recent memory, the female recognition was given to not one, but two Lady Knights: departing senior Kensley Phillips and rising senior Zoie Shuler. Senior Brock Adams was named the recipient of the Male Ed Jackson Award.
All across Robbinsville athletics, Adams, Phillips and Shuler are household names.
Brock Adams
Adams excelled as a wide receiver/defensive back for the Black Knights’ football team, receiving All-Smoky Mountain Conference recognition after posting 32 receptions (five for touchdowns) and 490 receiving yards. He was thrust into the role as starting point guard for Robbinsville’s varsity boys team as a freshman – and fit right in, helping right the ship of an unsteady program into its peak with a conference title, divisional-tournament crown and Sweet 16 playoff appearance in his swan song.
Adams sank his 1,000th point on the final shot of his high-school career, a free throw in the third round of the postseason at Eastern Randolph. He has signed to play basketball at Bryan College (Dayton, Tenn.)
Almost like a cherry on top of the sundae, Adams then picked up two more outdoor track & field state championships in hurdle events this spring, capping his period with the Black Knights as a 5-time, state-title winner (three in the 110-meter hurdles, two in the 300-meter hurdles). He also repeated as the Most Outstanding Male Athlete of the Smoky Mountain Conference championship meet.
Kensley Phillips
Between 2019-23, chances are that Phillips’ name could be found on a Lady Knights roster of any kind.
She went on a tear of standout accolades before bowing out of Robbinsville athletics. In volleyball, she recorded 455 digs, 434 receptions, 315 kills and 38 aces during her senior campaign. Phillips eclipsed the 1,000-digs mark and scooped up just the Lady Knights’ second-ever Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year distinction.
Moving onto basketball, Phillips kept any of the opposition’s best talent on its toes throughout her varsity stay. Widely regarded as the division’s uncrowned Defensive Player of the Year (the conference does not afford the honor in basketball), Phillips was an integral part of the Lady Knights’ Cinderella run to the Western Regional Finals – despite finishing second in both the regular-season conference standings and at the year-end tournament.
While juggling basketball duties, Phillips again qualified for both the indoor (4x200 and 4x400 relays); and outdoor (long jump) track & field state-championship meets. In the latter, she finished one spot shy of a podium appearance: fifth place (15 feet, 4 inches). Phillips departs the track program as a member of three different school records: the 4x400 (indoor); as well as the 4x100 and 4x200 standards (outdoor).
As if that was not enough, Phillips returned to the Lady Knights’ softball team, after taking off her junior season. As the starting center fielder, Phillips found a return to form at the plate and finished the year with a .357 average (fifth-highest on the team); six triples (tied for the team lead); one home run; 20 RBIs; and 26 putouts in the field – against a mere one error. Phillips was an All-Conference Honorable Mention for Robbinsville, which won its fifth-straight divisional championship (15th overall); and reached the third round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Phillips will be attending East Carolina University to pursue a degree in early childhood education.
Zoie Shuler
The only member of the trio who will be back next year, Shuler did not play volleyball or basketball this season – after participating in both her sophomore year.
But she did not need to: her track and softball resumes speak volumes about her natural athleticism.
Following another pair of successful endeavors into both indoor and outdoor track, Shuler is now an 8-time state champion, with titles coming this year in the high (outdoor); long (indoor and outdoor); and triple (indoor and outdoor) jumps. After this season, she is also a 3-time recipient of the Most Outstanding Female Athlete Award from the divisional-title meet.
Her name is on the record books for Robbinsville as a member of the same relays as Phillips, as well as the three jumping events and the 200-meter dash.
Then, there’s softball. Shuler has impressed enough thus far that she has already committed to play for the University of Tennessee. Her junior year consisted of a team-leading .595 average at the plate, which included 10 doubles, six triples, 10 homers, 30 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.
Other R-Club awards
The following Black Knights were given specific awards on behalf of Robbinsville athletics:
* Joyce Perkins Award for Academic and Athletic Excellence: Desta Trammell;
* Judy Nichols Sportsmanship Award: Desta Trammell;
* Bob Colvin Sportsmanship Awards: Cuttler Adams, Carson Lovin and Kage Williams.
Awards by sport
During the banquet, each sport gave out its program-specific awards.
Winners were as follows:
-Shooting Team: Ryan Lynn, MVP; David Lovingood, Coaches Award.
-Cross Country: Abby Wehr, Girls Coaches Award; Kamree Oliver and Skyler Oliver, Most Improved awards; Liberty Hartley, Girls MVP; Ethan Webster, Boys Coaches Award; William Cable, All-Conference Honorable Mention and Boys MVP.
-Volleyball: Claire Barlow and Aubrie Wachacha, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Delaney Brooms, Kensley Phillips and Desta Trammell, All-Conference; Kensley Phillips, Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; Fala Welch, Coaches Award; Delaney Brooms, Offensive MVP; Kensley Phillips, Defensive MVP.
-Cheerleading: Lindsey Brittain, Mackenzie Brooks, Kalyn Cable, Haylee Crisp, Erica Daniels, Jernie Greene, Raylee Knott and Kelle Williams, UCA All-Americans; Lindsey Brittain, Kelle Williams, Coaches Awards; Haylee Crisp, MVP.
-Football: Koleson Dooley, Roman Jones, Quinn Jumper and Haden Key, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Brock Adams, Bryce Adams, Cuttler Adams, Carlos Lopez and Zeke Silvers, All-Conference; Cuttler Adams, Smoky Mountain Conference Back of the Year; Carson Lovin, Coaches Award; Cuttler Adams, MVP.
-Indoor Track & Field: Claire Barlow, Zoie Shuler, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Claire Barlow, Kensley Phillips, Zoie Shuler and Anna Williams, All-Conference; Taelyr Jackson, Girls Coaches Award; Zoie Shuler, Girls MVP; Cooper Adams, Bruce Helms, Logan Hooper and Caden Lail, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Cooper Adams, All-Conference; Logan Hooper, Boys Coaches Award; Cooper Adams and Caden Lail, Boys MVPs.
-Boys Basketball: Bryce Adams, Bo Rattler, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Brock Adams, Donovan Carpenter, Xander Wachacha, All-Conference; Bryce Adams, Bo Rattler, Coaches Awards; Brock Adams, Donovan Carpenter, Xander Wachacha, MVPs.
-Girls Basketball: Aubrie Wachacha, Suri Watty, Abby Wehr, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Liz Carpenter, Kensley Phillips, Desta Trammell, All-Conference; Desta Trammell, Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; Aubrie Wachacha, Abby Wehr, Coaches Awards; Kensley Phillips, Defensive Player of the Year; Desta Trammell, MVP.
-Wrestling: Turner Jackson and Willie Riddle, Coaches Awards; Koleson Dooley, Alexis Panama and Kage Williams, MVPs; Kage Williams, Iron Man Award.
-Golf: Isiac Collins, Trey Lambert, Coaches Awards; Isaiah Brown, MVP.
-Outdoor Track & Field: Claire Barlow, Aubrie Wachacha, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Zoie Shuler, All-Conference; Claire Barlow and Kensley Phillips, 100-Point Club; Zoie Shuler, 200-Point Club; Kaniya Teesateskie, Girls Coaches Award; Kadence Howell, Most Improved Award; Zoie Shuler, Girls MVP; Brock Adams, Cooper Adams, Cuttler Adams and Carson Lovin, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Brock Adams and Cuttler Adams, All-Conference; Kasen Buchanan and Carson Lovin, Coaches Awards; Cuttler Adams, Ultimate Athlete Award; Brock Adams, Boys MVP; Cooper Adams and Cuttler Adams, 100-Point Club; Brock Adams, 200-Point Club.
-Baseball: Lathan Buchanan, All-Conference Honorable Mention; Ethan Orr and Graylen Orr, All-Conference; Lathan Buchanan, Coaches Award; Ethan Orr and Graylen Orr, Co-MVP Awards.
-Softball: Liz Carpenter and Kensley Phillips, All-Conference Honorable Mentions; Memory Frapp, Zoie Shuler, Naomi Taylor, Suri Watty and Anna Williams, All-Conference; Zoie Shuler, Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; Olivia Lewis, Kinsley Orr Best Teammate Award; Fala Welch, Haley Kennedy Most Improved Player Award; Taelyr Jackson, Coaches Award; Zoie Shuler, MVP.