Chapel Hill – Heartbroke.
That's the only way to describe the sentiment on Robbinsville's side of the field inside UNC's Kenan Stadium on Dec. 11, moments after the 1A state championship game wrapped up. The Black Knights were a mere 20 seconds away from clinching the program's 16th 1A crown, but saw the title fade away due to the late heroics of the Wilson Preparatory Academy Tigers.
What seemed attainable at the outset ultimately fell out of the grasp of the Black Knights, in a 9-8 loss that kicked off the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's football state championship week.
"We've had adversity this season, but our culture has been built around a family, all year," Robbinsville head coach Lucas Ford said, during the team's post-game press conference. "These guys have gotten tight. They've bonded together. The culture has came full circle to a family and when you see stuff like what they did tonight, that's when we talked to them and reminded them, 'Family's when something goes bad, somebody else steps in and picks them up. They carry each other in tough times.' That's what these guys did tonight. They put that on full display, for everybody to see that.
"I'm very proud of these guys. The fight they've got in them; they've got resilience. These seniors have been great; they'll do great in life."
The Knights were limited early on, with backfield threats Kyzik Teesateskie and Benton Gibby both exiting the game in the first half due to injury. Both teams struggled to move the ball throughout the early portion of the battle, resulting in a pair of first-quarter turnovers and eventual punts by the Tigers. In the opening segment, only a sack by Robbinsville's Ryelon Waldroup stood out.
The Black Knights squandered two scoring opportunities in the second, coughing up the ball on consecutive drives. Tyquan Whitaker recovered the first hiccup for Wilson Prep (9-5), while Zalik Cannady came away with the second – stopping a Robbinsville (10-4) drive at the Tigers 3-yard line.
"Losses are tough, either way," said Ford. "That's the game of football: our kids overcame those adverse situations very, very well, which speaks volumes to the character that they have. We drive down the field, get inside the 20 and don't score? That's tough, but there's no quit in these guys."
After the repeat, Wilson Prep struck paydirt by marching downfield and scoring on a 10-yard pass from Travon Usher to Nazir Vines. The Knights stuffed the rushing attempt for two extra points, before setting out on a journey for redemption.
It didn't take long: Eli Lambert caught a pass from Luke Lovin near midfield and sprinted 41 yards, before a tackle brought him down at the 1-yard line. Isiac Collins followed up the effort by punching in a touchdown moments later and safter a Tigers penalty, opted to rush the ball into the end zone to lift Robbinsville ahead 8-6.
The third quarter played out much like the first: a defensive stalemate. Wilson Prep failed to trick the Knights on a fake punt, but Robbinsville was unable to capitalize and had to punt the ball away itself. Kellen Ensley injected some life into the Knights by recovering a Tigers fumble in the closing seconds of the period, but Robbinsville ultimately turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth.
Wilson Prep also failed to convert on fourth down, giving the Black Knights control of their destiny with seven minutes to go. Forced into another fourth-down scenario, Robbinsville attempted its own fake punt – but was unsuccessful in converting the effort. Wilson Prep replied by taking the ball to the Knights' 1-yard line, where Robbinsville looked poised to make a goal-line stand and take home a championship. The swagger was aided by the fact that Wilson Prep was assessed back-to-back, delay-of-game penalties – while trying to strategize with the season on the line.
Tigers head coach Phil Dickens said in the team's post-game press conference that Wilson Prep had not attempted a field goal in three seasons. It turned out to be an ace-in-the-hole that no one saw coming, as Ethan Nelson split the uprights on a 26-yard attempt to give Wilson Prep a 9-8 lead with 20 seconds to go.
"Ethan has one of the best legs around, when he's healthy," Dickens said. "In practice the other day, he was nailing them from every hash.
"They (Robbinsville) were everything we thought they would be. Well coached. Defensively, they were deadly. I knew it was going to be tough. They are as advertised."
Robbinsville had one timeout left and decent field position when it got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, but any hopes of a quick rally were squashed when Manny Dickens picked off a pass to end the Black Knights' season.
"I love these guys," Ford said. "They're my guys. They're just like my kids. I spend a lot of time with them and when you take a team on, look at your core group of seniors, that's your tone-setters for your program going forward. The culture builders. You couldn't have asked for anything better. Our kids, coaches and community has seen that.
"They're so selfless. These seniors grabbed ahold of that aspect of the game and truly built a 'family' concept. This is a tight bunch."
Reflections
Seniors Collins, Ensley and Lovin each delivered some immediate thoughts on Robbinsville's 2025 season during the press conference.
"This was amazing," Collins said of the experience. "When we got here, they took us out on the field. Just looking around, it's the craziest thing I've ever experienced. I'm so glad that I got to go out there and play with the people that I played with. From freshman to seniors, we love each other. We're a family."
"We've got the greatest town," Ensley added. "We come from a small town, but we have a big voice. We have such a great community. I'm so glad we got to play for them, every Friday night."
"We didn't want to let the community down – or the coaching staff, for all the time they put into this program," said Lovin. "This means a lot to everybody. It's the best feeling in the world."
Western North Carolina was 0-3 in state-title bids this year. Murphy (12-3) was shutout 22-0 by Tarboro (15-0) in the 2A championship game, while Brevard (14-1) fell in its pursuit for a 4A crown to Reidsville (13-2), 50-20.