Snowbird – The one advantage Robbinsville usually has against opponents is its ability to fill out all 14 weight classes.
It doesn’t hurt that finesse and talent are found across the roster, either.
Both examples were on full display Tuesday, as the Black Knights hosted a tri-match at the new Jacob Cornsilk Community Center in Snowbird. The facility just opened June 3 and the action was the first varsity competition to occur inside the spacious building.
Robbinsville (2-0) rolled over Madison in a 57-21 bid, before defeating Cherokee 66-15 in the nightcap.
The showdown against the Patriots featured Lleyton Hooper (132 pounds) pinning Madison’s John English. Booby Moore (138) followed the effort with a pin of his own against Grayson Brigman, before the Patriots trimmed the deficit in half when Cade Woody (145) pinned Robbinsville’s Devin Hall, to make the dual score 12-6.
Blake Powers (152) promptly got the points back for the Knights by downing Drake Marshall, before Jeremiah Phillips (160) dropped an 11-5 decision to Danny Foley and Willie Riddle fell in an 170-pound bout to Kyle Jamerson. The 18-15 deficit was the closest the Patriots would come to the lead in the match, as Kyler Branham (182) and Kage Williams (195) had their hands raised via forfeit.
Landen Miller (220) was then pinned by Madison’s Peyton Jessup, before Jacob Teesateskie won a thrilling heavyweight jostle with Mason Clubb in overtime, 7-5. From there, Adair Panama (106), Skyler Anderson (113), Ethan Webster (120) and Avery Phillips (126) rattled off the final 24 team points for Robbinsville via forfeit.
The dual against the Braves was heavily overshadowed by a troubling incident in the 145-pound bout. An errant slam resulted in Cherokee’s Trevor Hill-Ledford suffering an injury that stopped all the action and discussion going on inside the center. The dual was halted for the better part of 20 minutes as EMTs arrived to transport Hill-Ledford for medical attention. He was able to stand up and climb onto a stretcher, which drew thunderous applause. His condition was unknown at press time.
Powers, Riddle (at 160 for this dual), Jeremiah Phillips, Panama, Anderson, Webster, Hooper and Moore all secured six points for the Black Knights by simply jogging onto the mat to accept a forfeit. Avery Phillips made quick work of Marty Roach in 126-pound action, while Branham received a disqualification win after Michael Gayosso locked his hands on three separate occasions.
Williams pinned Vincent Owle, before Talan Crowe picked up six for the Braves by pinning Miller. Blaze Powers competed at 285 for Robbinsville, dropping a 6-2 decision to Jayden Tramper.
Throughout the evening, the Robbinsville girls team competed against Cherokee and Madison grapplers, while the middle school Black Knights battled both the Braves and Patriots. The Lady Knights fanned Cherokee 48-0, but no other team scores were kept.