Knights drop opener to Cougars
Asheville – Trailing by 6 with 3:50 left in the ballgame, Robbinsville started a downfield campaign to victory from its own 15-yard line.
In his first varsity start, Donovan Carpenter later converted a game-saving fourth down on an 11-yard keeper, while following up the conversion by peppering passes into the hands of brothers Brock and Bryce Adams. Before Asheville could catch a breath, the Knights had marched to the Cougars’ 30.
With 1:33 left, Asheville called a timeout to strategize.
Robbinsville welcomed the break, as the Knights had burned all of their voluntary breaks and needed a moment to collect their thoughts on what looked to be a go-ahead drive, late in the game. Carpenter’s next option was to fire a pass to his right – but instead, the toss found the outstretched hands of Cougars cornerback Aeon Benjamin, who sprinted downfield 80 yards for a pick-6.
Bitter from last year’s season-opening loss to the Knights, Asheville had extracted a measure of revenge. Robbinsville fell 26-14 on Friday at Memorial Stadium.
“I felt like our kids tried real, real hard,” head coach Dee Walsh said. “We gave ourselves a chance, even though we made tons of mistakes. There were about 4-6 of them that played that had never been in a competitive varsity game – but in a way, they got some good experience. They grew up against a quality team, and I think we will get better.
“I told them, ‘I’m not so sure if we had won, it might have backfired – thinking we were good enough.’ We would’ve quit working, but I know that now they won’t stop working. They’re willing to work and improve, and I think we will.”
Still, there were plenty of positives to point out for the visitors. For example, the Knights received the opening kickoff and dictated 5:25 off the clock, using 12 plays to find the end zone – which ultimately came on a 3-yard Turner Jackson rumble.
Robbinsville followed up the offensive dominance with a huge red-zone stand, after Asheville copied the Knights opening pace and carried its first drive into the second quarter. The Cougars threatened, but Robbinsville stood tough on a fourth-down conversion attempt and stopped Asheville at the Black Knights’ 9 yard line.
Things finally clicked for Asheville when Deshaun Whitmire picked off a Carpenter pass and the Cougars took over at their own 46. The Asheville senior went on to punch in two rushing touchdowns – on respective 3- and 6-yard carries – before halftime, while adding a two-point conversion run to the first score. In between, Oliver Mooney dropped Carpenter for a loss on fourth down to hold Robbinsville’s score steady.
Controversy opened the second half. An onside kick was seemingly recovered by Robbinsville’s Zeke Silvers, but a lengthy discussion between officials went on to overrule the snag.
Now with even more incentive, the Knights forced the first three-and-out possession from either side, before embarking on a 5:40 drive that culminated with Cuttler Adams muscling his way into the end zone. For good measure, Jacob Teesateskie leaped onto the ball after it came loose – ensuring the score. Cuttler followed up the effort with a conversion that knotted things at 14 all.
The Knights’ defense continued to shine – forcing another swift Asheville punt – but the Cougars were able to stymie Robbinsville on fourth down, stopping the Knights millimeters from moving the chains.
Asheville (1-0) immediately found the end zone with a quick slip to Monty Mosley, who dashed 69 yards to pull the Cougars back ahead – a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the affair.
“Their offense rushed for 43 yards, so I think that says a lot about how well our defense played,” Walsh said. “We felt like our linebackers had a great preseason and they all played great, but Bryce played really, really awesome. He was all over the field; he had 10 individual tackles and Cuttler had nine.
“Some people will say, ‘Two interceptions isn’t that good,’ but that last one was a fluke,” Walsh added about Carpenter’s first varsity start. “He was trying to throw the ball away, and he got hit in the middle of a throw. He played a really good game. He made a lot good decisions on the veer and made some good passes. He ran for first downs when we were done for. I was really pleased to see that.”
Devils come to Graham
Due up on Robbinsville’s non-conference slate is a visit from the Brevard Blue Devils. The Knights’ home opener kicks off at Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26.
Robbinsville (0-1) made the trek to Transylvania County last season – mere hours after a COVID outbreak among the roster depleted several vital resources to success. The Knights went on to fall, 16-15.
“They’re a different team than they’ve been in the past,” Walsh said. “They’ve been a spread team; throwing the ball around everywhere. They’ve got a new coach in and they’re really running the ball.
“That’s what Brevard used to be. They’re going back to smash-mouth football. They’ve got three tailbacks that are interchangeable and some big kids up front.
“We’re excited to get to play at home. We’ll hopefully have a big crowd, and we’ll do our best to try and get a win.”
Brevard (1-0) started its season with a 21-14 home victory over Pisgah. Following the voyage to Robbinsville, the Blue Devils will make a much-shorter trek to Asheville on Friday, Sept. 2. For those who cannot make it to the Brevard/Robbinsville game, it will be telecast on The Graham Star Sports Network, which can be accessed at grahamstarsports.com. The broadcast will begin around 7:15 p.m.