Black Knights limit Trojans to 113 offensive yards in lopsided win
Robbinsville – If you are a casual observer, you would have never known the Black Knights had not played a football game in two weeks.
The Alleghany Trojans made a 4 ½-hour trip for Friday’s homecoming game at Robbinsville. The hospitality was short-lived, as the Knights poured on 40 unanswered points in an inevitable 40-7 win.
“A lot of these boys are working really hard in practice, so getting to see them get our here and play is exciting,” junior quarterback Donovan Carpenter said, when asked about the Knights’ sizable victory, allowing for some younger players to get some in-game experience.
“This has been an exciting season,” Carpenter added. “We’ve worked really hard to get where we are and we keep getting better each week. We will continue to work hard and get even better.”
Alleghany (1-4) had to quickly punt to begin the game, but managed to wrangle possession back when Blake Proffit recovered a Knights’ fumble. The turnover proved to be the final glimmer of hope for the Trojans.
Cuttler Adams and Haden Key collaborated on a sack of Alleghany quarterback Nick Rea and the visitors soon had to kick the ball away.
Robbinsville then got on a roll with a 29-yard Cuttler Adams touchdown – and subsequent conversion run – at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.
Brock Adams recorded a sack on the next Trojans drive, before the Knights regained possession and swiftly marched downfield before Cuttler dove into the end zone on a 1-yard score. Cooper Adams later strutted 74 yards on the next Robbinsville drive to round out a 20-point segment.
Hot on the heels of a Carson Lovin interception in the second, Turner Jackson broke through and rumbled 58 yards to the end zone. Cuttler Adams completed the hat trick with 5:46 left in the first half, scoring on a 20-yard carry. His second conversion attempt also proved successful and the Trojans’ next drive – which included a Dayne Webster sack – also fell short.
Cuttler matched his jersey number to touchdowns in the third, after finding some open real estate and scoring from 29 yards out. Alleghany finally dented the scoreboard in the fourth, a 35-yard touchdown pass from Rea to Mack Lemasters. Andrew Wood launched an extra point that would flesh out the scorebook.
All told, Robbinsville had 508 rushing yards; Cuttler Adams accounted for 201 of those.
He sits at 3,541 for his career.
Crunch time
Robbinsville finished the non-divisional portion of the season 4-1.
But now, business picks up.
The Knights will make the short trip to Bryson City today, for the Smoky Mountain Conference opener against Swain County. The Maroon Devils have looked strong in the first half of its campaign, going 3-2 by knocking off North Buncombe, Franklin and Pisgah along the way.
Junior quarterback Reese Winchester has only posted 144 yards in the air through five games, with four different rushers – led by a 308-yard effort from Gabe Lillard – are in triple digits. Joshua Collins (31 tackles) and Lucas Sutton (28) look to be the biggest threats to the Knights’ offense.
However, Robbinsville is undaunted.
“We’re pumped. We’re ready,” Carpenter said about the conference kickoff. “Alleghany ran a few things similar to what Swain does, so we were able to get a head start (on preparation).”
Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. If you cannot make the trip, the game will be broadcast on the Maroon Devils Network.