Adams surpasses 5,000 yards; Black Knights off to 3-0 start
Burnsville – One might expect a pre-game glimpse inside the Black Knights’ locker room to be upbeat, loud and full of teenagers who are psyching themselves up for that evening’s assignment.
Sorry to disappoint, but that does not fit Robbinsville’s mantra this year. Instead, you will find a group of both physically and mentally-fit young men sitting quietly. A Bluetooth speaker blares modern-age hip-hop, but the mood inside the room is a direct contrast to the beats pouring into each of the athlete’s heads:
Focus.
See, the Knights heard their detractors. The well-wishers that just could not walk away from the pre-season encouragement at the grocery store without throwing in that one parting shot – the comment that has fueled Robbinsville to a 3-0 start and helped revive the “Black Knight Swarm,” a moniker that has floated in and out of the program for decades to perfectly measure how much success opponents have found against Robbinsville.
“What about your defense?”
Following a 28-17 road win over the Mountain Heritage Cougars on Friday, the 2023 opposition has scored a whopping 23 points on the Knights. Bear in mind that Robbinsville has yet to play a 1A school – and shut out its only 3A pairing (Franklin) for the first time in 51 years just two weeks ago.
Is the line young? Yes. The Knights are entering play with a scant 10 seniors each week; of that, half are two-way athletes and man either the linebacker or defensive secondary when the ball is in the other team’s hands.
Are they banged up? Yes. Tytan Teesateskie was entering his junior year off knee surgery, but injured it once again in a pre-season scrimmage at Pisgah (he hopes to rehab and return later); sophomore John Dominguez exited Friday’s game early with a knee issue, as well. Both are tackles that Robbinsville had factored into making an impact up front.
But, this crop of Knights are persevering and proving themselves game-after-game. Do the linemen miss assignments? Yes – but all linemen do. More often than not, the holes that the front-line hosses open up have given backfield stars Cuttler Adams (running back), Donovan Carpenter (quarterback) and Kage Williams (fullback) the chance to strike in a manner most offensive to the opponents.
Ask yourself again: what about the defense?
It’s doing just fine.
“Defense has been our strong point this year,” echoed senior quarterback Donovan Carpenter, who checks in at free safety when not manning the offense.
The well-oiled machine and leadership both on- and off-the-field displayed by the upper classmen has given perhaps the most sought-after running back in Knights history a chance to actively pursue a spot in the record books.
Adams trampled his way to 166 rushing yards on 25 touches Friday, scoring all four of Robbinsville’s touchdowns in the win over Mountain Heritage (1-2). He surpassed the 5,000-yard mark on the ground in the game and now sits at 5,075.
He needs just 1,089 to tie both the all-time school and Smoky Mountain Conference benchmark that Rylee Anderson posted between 2016-19, of 6,164 rushing yards.
“I’m really blessed to have passed 5,000 (yards),” Adams humbly said. “The Lord has definitely blessed me and kept me safe from injuries.”
A senior that spent the better part of his summer visiting combines and colleges all across the eastern seaboard, Adams helped Robbinsville to leapfrog over a 7-0 deficit by picking off Cougars quarterback Brandon Quinn in the second quarter, setting up the Black Knights’ first scoring drive in the fallout. His 4-yard strike at the midway point of the segment was followed three minutes later by a 41-yard dash that gave Robbinsville a 14-7 lead – after he tacked on the conversion run for good measure.
Adams leapt across the line on a 1-yard dive in the third, before ensuring the victory on the heels of a 29-yard rumble with 1:05 to go in the game.
Kage Williams sealed the deal with the conversion burst.
“We came out really flat in the first quarter; there were a lot of mistakes on our behalf,” Carpenter admitted. “But we picked it up – our defense played really good and our offense started rolling.”
To its credit, Mountain Heritage kept pressure applied after forfeiting the lead. Quinn had a 15-yard keeper to get the Cougars out front in the first, but in the aftermath of the Knights’ rally, Matthias Newsome split the uprights on a 40-yard field goal in the third (which made the score 14-10, Robbinsville); and Cason Jones hauled in a 17-yard scoring pass from Quinn early in the fourth – which drew Mountain Heritage as close as it would get, a 20-17 deficit.
“They were a very good ball team and we knew before we even stepped on the field they were going to bring it,” Adams said. “When things got tough, we didn’t cave in: we just lay in there and fought.
“I’m so proud of the team; we just have to keep working.”
The Knights remain on the road this week, making a 254-mile trek to return the favor against last year’s homecoming opponent, the Alleghany Trojans. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
“Everyone is feeling good about things, but we have to get some healthy players back,” Carpenter said. “Alleghany is going to be good; better than it was last year. So, we have to be ready and come to play."
The game will be streamed on grahamstarsports.com.