Knights wins JV season finale against Swain
Robbinsville – Defensive positives were spurned out of several offensive negatives.
The Oct. 14 regular-season finale between the junior varsity Robbinsville Black Knights (3-2) and Swain County featured a combined six fumble recoveries, but just one interception.
It was the Knights that ended up on the right side of the pick, scoring what would be the game-winning touchdown with 8:28 left in the fourth quarter – and defeating the Maroon Devils by the same margin as their April 1 triumph in Bryson City, 14-12.
“This was the first, four-quarter game that we’ve played all season,” Robbinsville head coach Wren Millsaps said.
“We’ve had a resilient group of guys. Most people don’t know that we’ve lost seven starters over the season.
“To say you lose that many starters – and you’re still competing in every game – is a testament to the hard work from these guys in the offseason, and the guts that they have.”
The game was scoreless entering the second quarter, even though Robbinsville’s Roman Jones – as well as the Swain County duo of Cameron George and Trenton Jones – scooped up loose balls to force turnovers.
Kellen Ensley’s fumble recovery early in the stanza was finally capitalized on by Robbinsville, as quarterback Bryce Adams would weave through the defense and break loose for an eventual 52-yard touchdown at the 6:57 mark.
Undeterred, the Devils knotted things at 6-6 on an 11-yard dash by Mason Cochran with 2:44 remaining in the half. Swain County later took full advantage of a high snap on a Robbinsville punt attempt in the third, with Kelan McCullough falling on the ball in the end zone.
However, Jones would pick off Maroon Devils quarterback Aiden Southards at the dawn of the fourth and Quinn Jumper would soon make a mad dash toward the end zone, scoring on a 67-yard run to tie the game again at 12-12.
The only successful conversion attempt of the evening – a run by Jones – would put the game out of reach, as Ensley recovered a loose Swain football during the ensuing possession and the Black Knights simply ran out the clock from there.
The victory helped Robbinsville end the season on a high note, following a 28-14 road loss against Mountain Heritage on Oct. 7. Millsaps sought out the stiff competition in an effort to help prepare the Knights for what’s to come.
“My goal this week was to get them in the mindset of winning the last game they play,” Millsaps added. “If they make that a habit now, when it comes to fruition, it’s going to mean state championships. That’s what this group can be, if they put in the work and buy in.”