JV Knights send resounding message in debut
Robbinsville – In the first game contested with new seating hovering above the home sideline, the junior varsity Black Knights showed why a venture to their Thursday-night outings can prove to be just as thrilling as the rush felt on Fridays.
“Grittiness” was the name of the game for Robbinsville in its 2023 debut Aug. 17, as Mountain Heritage visited town for a showdown on Bob Colvin Field. After falling in their first two encounters against the Cougars, the Knights got over the proverbial hump in a hard-fought, 20-14 victory.
“It was a great team win,” said head coach Wren Millsaps. “We knew coming in that Mountain Heritage was a hard-nosed, well-coached team.”
The back-and-forth jostle started with Brayden Lane recovering a Cougars fumble on the first drive of the game. Robbinsville failed to cash in and later, Mountain Heritage jumped out front on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brayden Deyton to Foster Calloway. After a failed two-point conversion, the Knights responded with a 55-yard scoring dash from Cameron Allison just over a minute later.
Elijah Kirkland ran in the conversion and Robbinsville took a lead it would not relinquish, as a failed Cougars drive gave way to Allison finding his way into the end zone again with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.
As the clock struck zero at halftime, starting quarterback Braylon Blevins suffered a broken arm while providing defense for the Black Knights. Allison shifted to the position for the second half and early in the third, handed the ball to Kirkland for an eventual 59-yard score. The punch was Robbinsville’s final strike of the game, with Mountain Heritage trimming the deficit on its next possession on the heels of a Jacob Wind 5-yard dash and successful conversion zip from Deyton to Adam Silvers.
Ervine Pile recovered a Knights fumble in the fourth, but Christian Koeller later returned the favor with a recovery for Robbinsville. The Black Knights turned the ball over on downs to the Cougars with a minute to go, providing a nailbiting conclusion that saw Mountain Heritage fail to connect on four passes in succession. The latter was batted down by Bam Nelms as the final horn sounded, cementing Robbinsville’s triumph.
“With numerous guys stepping up, it’s hard to pinpoint one individual,” Millsaps added. “However, this was an entire team effort that went out there and left it all on the field.”
The JV Knights travel to Mitchell to face the Mountaineers at 7 p.m. today.
Robbinsville’s home junior-varsity games are being streamed for free all season long at grahamstarsports.com.