Knights makes quick work of opposition at Devil Duals
Bryson City – It was just another day at the office for the Black Knights.
Robbinsville (10-1) buzzed through Franklin, Madison, Hayesville, Enka and the hosting Swain County Maroon Devils at the annual Devil Duals on Dec. 22, collecting their third trophy in as many weeks.
“We’ve got some guys that aren’t as healthy as we want them to be, but at the same time, they gritted it out and picked up some tough wins,” Robbinsville head coach Todd Odom said.
“It was tough for us to go to the Falcon (Frenzy), Fred T. Foard and the (Great Smoky Mountain) Grapple, and then turn around in a few days and come here, but I’m real proud of how tough our kids were.”
The Knights first toppled Franklin 61-16, before downing Madison 60-18 and shutting out Hayesville 84-0, which pushed Robbinsville out of its pool and into the championship race.
From there, the Black Knights bested Enka for the second time this season – in this instance, 50-21 – before reaching the finals against Smoky Mountain Conference foe Swain County.
But even in their namesake tournament, the Devils offered little in the way of opposition to Robbinsville, as the Knights cruised to a 53-21 tournament-title victory.
After maintaining such a frantic pace over the last two weeks, Robbinsville paused around the Christmas holiday, but traveled to the massive Holy Angels Tournament in Charlotte on Wednesday and today, while another contingent trek to the Osley B. Saunooke Tournament in Cherokee on Saturday.
“It’s been a tough stretch for us,” Odom noted. “We call it the ‘Dog Days.’
“We’re probably going to take seven wrestlers down to the Holy Angels. We feel like those seven have the best shot and when you have 131 teams, it’s the best of the best. After we get some rest, we’ll be ready for what’s to come.”