Knights survive final non-conference road game
Sylva – With 1:45 left in Friday’s game, Smoky Mountain quarterback Jed West aired out a long pass downfield.
To that point in the game, the Mustangs’ gunslinger had posted 225 yards in the air and picked apart Robbinsville’s defense – all giant contributions to a spirited 21-point rally bid put forth by Smoky Mountain in the second half. But the heave came up a few yards short of the intended target, instead landing in the clutches of defensive-secondary stalwart Brock Adams.
One short return later by the senior and Robbinsville had spoiled the Mustangs’ homecoming with a 28-27 triumph at Carr Hooper Stadium.
“I’ve had a few interceptions in my career and I think this one probably ranks second out of them all. The first one would be against Swain last year,” Adams said with a laugh, before getting serious.
“I’m just glad I can help
make plays for my team so that we can win.”
Robbinsville (3-1) did all of its offensive damage in the first half. A 3-yard Turner Jackson plunge in the first quarter put the Knights on the board, with Cuttler Adams tacking on the conversion run thereafter.
In another showcase, Adams went on to pepper a 53-yard receiving touchdown – plus respective scoring tramples of 70 and 10 yards – onto the Mustangs’ defense in the second quarter, more than helping the Knights’ run away with the momentum in the first half.
Adams sits at 3,340 rushing yards in his career. The school benchmark is Rylee Anderson, who compiled 6,164 between 2016-19 – good for 25th all time in North Carolina.
However, Smoky Mountain (2-2) was not going away quietly. The Mustangs’ lone score before halftime came off a quick 6-yard slip from Jed West to Matt Brown. The Knights pawed down the extra point to limit the scoring to six points.
A motivated offense trotted back out of the Mustangs’ locker room and in return, success quickly followed. Isaiah McNeely ran in his first of three rushing scores from 12 yards out. West and Brown made another connection to cut the Knights’ lead in half.
Robbinsville’s first snap on the ensuing drive was then fumbled, with Mabry Bumgarner muscling the ball off the ground and back to Smoky Mountain. From there, McNeely found the promised land for the second time in under three minutes, on a 13-yard run. Zeke Sink’s point-after suddenly left the Black Knights with a 28-21 lead.
The second Antonio Lorenzo sack of the game sparked the Mustangs’ again to begin the fourth. One methodical drive downfield later and Smoky Mountain struck paydirt again with a 1-yard push by McNeely.
However, a bad snap on Sink’s extra point attempt resulted in a botched kick – and, as such, proved costly down the stretch. Though Robbinsville was later stopped on a fourth-down conversion, Brock’s pick gave everyone on the visitors’ side of the facility a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.
R&R
The Knights’ bye week this year falls in the middle of the non-conference portion of their schedule.
Robbinsville will look to rest and recover – while also work on fine-tuning some key areas of its attack – before the homecoming bout with the Alleghany Trojans on Friday, Sept. 23. Kickoff under the Big Oaks will be at 7:30 p.m.
“Our team chemistry is getting better,” Brock said. “Everyone is like a family in that locker room and we all have each other’s back. I love these boys and would do anything for any of them. We have a lot of young guys who are stepping up into their roles and becoming better players to help us win.
“The only thing we really need to work on is our passing game, but that will come eventually. Our line is improving very fast and we can run the ball really well, to be just four games in.”
If you cannot make it to the homecoming game, it will be streamed on grahamstarsports.com. Simply purchase the PPV pass and you will receive a confirmation email with the password you will need to access the “Watch Live” page on game day. PPV passes will be available next week.