Robbinsville JV rocks Bulldogs
Murphy – It was a bad night to be a Bulldog.
From the opening whistle on Sept. 15, the junior varsity Robbinsville Black Knights dictated control over Murphy, with a mixture of solid rushing and stubborn defense stalling the hosts in a 22-16 triumph.
“Four tough quarters – and they showed up for each one of them,” Robbinsville head coach Wren Millsaps said. “The resiliency they’re showing after taking two losses … I challenged them to never lose a game again. Not just this year, but this group has the talent to do that.
Robbinsville (3-2) milked 6:57 off the clock to begin the game, finally cashing in on a 70-yard possession with a 1-yard scoring drive from Ryleon Waldroup. Tillman Adams’ conversion run made it 8-0.
The Knights seemed destined to carry a shutout into halftime, but an errant pass instead landed in the hands of Murphy’s Robert Turner, who promptly ran the ball 60 yards to the end zone. Turner followed the showing by catching the conversion pass, and in the blink of an eye the game was tied at 8.
Indeed, Robbinsville answered the stalemate to begin the second half. Shortly after a huge sack from Waldroup, Murphy’s punt was promptly returned 55 yards by Adair Panama for a touchdown. Waldroup’s conversion sprint increased the Knights’ advantage to 16-8.
A pair of turnovers later gave way to a Dane Daniels fumble recovery at the Bulldogs’ 18 yard line. One short series later, Isiac Collins bullied his way across the goal line on a 1-yard scramble.
That was all the damage needed. A charity touchdown and conversion for Murphy with 3:17 left simply gave the Knights a chance to run out the clock – still in control.
“Our secondary really stepped up,” Millsaps added. “Andrew Adams broke up a pair of big passes. I can’t say enough about the toughness of my fullbacks and runners. When things got tough, they hit back.
“We’re getting better every game. Two weeks ago, we started pushing the sled before and after every practice. That will not change from here on out, because these boys want to get better. They have the desire to be the best team they can be.”
Robbinsville will finish out its JV season with back-to-back games on Bob Colvin Field. Andrews pays a visit tonight, before Hayesville traverses to Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 29. Both games kick off at 6 p.m.