Huntersville – Coming off a solid practice round, Robbinsville was in second place with just six holes left to go at May 5's Western Regional meet.
Mother Nature had other plans, throwing scorecards into disarray with a lengthy burst of wind that doomed the Knights' chances of qualifying for the state tournament for the first time in program history. Robbinsville dropped in the rankings down the stretch, ultimately shooting a 369 to place seventh in the pack.
"It wasn't a hard course; it really should have played to our advantage," said Black Knights head coach Kent Williams. "We could've won if we had played the way we normally play."
Senior Isaiah Brown fell just short of qualifying for his third individual appearance, finishing in an eight-way tie for 24th with an 88. His younger sibling Avery posted a 92 – good for a three-way tie for 39th place – and Trey Lambert (94) sliced Isiac Collins (95) for respective 42nd and 44th-place finishes. Both were tied for their individual positions.
Cody Crisp rounded out Robbinsville's contributions by shooting a 101, which landed the sophomore in a three-way tie for 51st.
"We just picked a bad time to have a bad game," Williams said. "I figured if we could shoot a 330, we would go to state and then we'd be on equal playing ground."
Playing at its home course, Christ the King flourished at NorthStone Country Club. The Crusaders had three individual finishers in the top 10 – including the individual regional champion, Colin Ferrick (who shot a 67) – helping lift Christ the King to a regional team title after the team compiled an almost-appropriate 316.
Robbinsville's team score was the best from the Smoky Mountain Conference. Andrews was eighth, with 387; Highlands finished ninth, with 404; and Cherokee took 10th, recording a 409.
The Black Knights won the program's first divisional title in 25 years this season and return three starters: Avery Brown, Collins and Crisp. Isaiah and Trey will soon walk across the stage to obtain their high school diplomas.
"We've got a group of really good kids," said Williams. "We should be good enough next year to compete for a conference title – and maybe even better. I've got some young players that are really coming on."