Black Knights fall in season launch to Cardinals
Pilot Mountain – Things got off to an exciting start, but went off the rails quickly.
Cooper Adams ran back the opening kickoff of Robbinsville’s season 85 yards for a touchdown Friday at East Surry, but the Cardinals produced a quick response and followed by building a two-possession lead.
The Knights struggled to find a spark thereafter, but still cut down the deficit before falling short in a 21-19 heartbreaker to the Cardinals.
Adams’ return became a distant memory just 15 seconds after it occurred, with East Surry’s Carter Motsinger finding Stevie Keener on the first play from scrimmage for a 64-yard touchdown pass. The Cardinals broke out some trickery on the extra-point, with Keener rolling out to fire a rocket into the waiting hands of Troy Watson to edge the hosts ahead 8-7.
Following a sack from Watson and a blocked punt, the Cardinals looked primed to take full momentum at the Robbinsville 12. The Knights had other plans, though: stopping East Surry short of the goal line and regaining possession.
A recurring theme for both teams all night was centers struggling to precisely snap the ball, but somehow only two fumble recoveries took place – yet, both went in East Surry’s favor. Keener snagged a loose ball on Robbinsville’s next drive, which gave way to Watson scoring in transition on a 38-yard run. Braden Snow hit the only PAT of the night for the Cardinals and East Surry led 15-7.
Motsinger scrambled 22 yards with 5:23 left in the second to round out the Cardinals’ scoreline. The Black Knights started a rally bid on a 2-yard Adams push with 1:09 remaining before halftime, but failed to strike again until the fourth.
Bridging the gap was a defensive struggle, which included Snow wrapping up another fumble and Lucas Chappell dropping Robbinsville quarterback Bryce Adams for a loss. Knights tackle Tytan Teesateskie brought Motsinger down in the backfield in the third, as well.
Robbinsville had a chance to knot things up with 5:20 left in the game, following an Adams (Bryce)/Adams (Cooper) connection for a 53-yard touchdown. Bryce was hit as he tried to throw the game-tying conversion pass into the end zone, which quelled the effort.
Back in possession with time rapidly winding down – and no timeouts left for a breather – Keener cemented his solid night by picking off Bryce just past midfield, sealing the win for the Cards.
The Knights look to get into the win column Friday, Aug. 30, making a much-shorter trip to Franklin to face the Panthers. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.; the game will be live-streamed via the Franklin Panthers Sports Network.