Robbinsville thrashes Brevard in home debut
Robbinsville – Before the Blue Devils had a chance to gather their bearings, Cuttler Adams trampled downfield for a 78-yard touchdown.
Before the first quarter was over, Adams had 129 rushing yards alone on scoring runs.
Finishing at an even 200 for the night, the junior back finished the game with a hat trick of touchdowns recorded on the ground. Robbinsville’s defense limited Brevard to just 162 total yards – to make sure all its bases were covered – as the Black Knights rinsed the bitter taste of a 16-15 loss to the Devils last year from their mouths, knocking off the visitors from Transylvania County 32-7 under the Big Oaks.
“Before the game, I asked the Lord to help me make a play right off the bat, to help spark my team,” said Adams, who needs just 158 rushing yards to reach the 3,000 mark. “My goal is to beat the all-time record and if it’s God’s will, that can for sure happen. I want to shout out to all my linemen and tell them how much they mean to me.
They have done so good for me and I can’t do anything without those guys. They are the real heroes.
“By the way, I’m taking them out to eat – that’s how much they mean to me.”
Brevard (1-1) held the lead ever so briefly. After Adams’ opening salvo, the Blue Devils were forced off the field on a 3-and-out opening possession. But P.J. Deshauteurs recovered a Knights’ fumble on Robbinsville’s next drive and soon enough, Nahshon Griffin punched a 3-yard score. Elijah Eubanks connected for the PAT to push the Devils ahead, 7-6.
From there, the majority of the success on the gridiron was found by the Black Knights. Adams rumbled through heavy traffic with 2:11 remaining in the opening stanza for a 51-yard touchdown. Brock Adams then nabbed an interception from Brevard’s Cole Swicegood before the horn sounded.
Both Turner Jackson (Robbinsville) and Tre’von Whitmire (Brevard) fell on respective offensive fumbles in the second, but the score held steady. The Knights’ defense came up big in the third, however, as Jude Campbell dropped Swicegood for a sack, scooped up the ensuing loose ball from the pulverizing hit and promptly dashed 40 yards to the house.
“I knew they were in gun and we knew that a pass was coming, because they don’t run the gun very often,” Campbell explained. “I saw the tackle down block and it was an open lane between me and the quarterback. When I saw him pull it from the fullback, I went straight to him. I saw the ball come out and immediately jumped up and scooped it and from there, the race was on.
“It was a very exciting experience and it gave my teammates a little extra boost to finish out the game.”
With 49 seconds left in the segment, Cuttler completed the trio with an 8-yard carry across the goal line. Donovan Carpenter then found Brock Adams for Robbinsville’s lone successful conversion attempt of the evening.
Just to make sure Brevard had no aspirations of a rally, sophomore lineman Tytan Teesateskie was a formidable presence in the second half. After missing Week 1 against Asheville, he made himself known against the Blue Devils, including dropping Swicegood for another loss in the fourth.
To round out the box score, Caden Lail put the icing on the cake by reeling in an eventual 71-yard touchdown pass from Carpenter late in the affair.
3 games, 2 Cougars
Robbinsville (1-1) will have the rare opportunity to play back-to-back home games, as Mountain Heritage (0-2) pays a visit from Burnsville on Friday. Kickoff on Bob Colvin Field will take place at 7:30 p.m.
The 2A Cougars have endured a rough start to their season. Chase fanned Mountain Heritage 42-0 in the opener, before Erwin outpaced the Cougars 56-30 in Week 2.
Mountain Heritage looks to rely heavily on its run game, as well. Its backfield is paced by senior Griffin Ray, while linebacker
Logan Reynolds and strong safety Nic Gragg – both classmates of Ray – stand out for the Cougars defense.