Whatizit? It’s Robbinsville, again

Robbinsville – Friday’s divisional title game was everything it was built up to be – and then some.

Two programs with a decades-old rivalry – Robbinsville and Swain County – spent 48 minutes in combat on Bob Colvin Field, vying for the premier bragging rights in the Smoky Mountain Conference. The Maroon Devils were on a quest for their first divisional crown since 2017 (when they split it three ways, with Murphy and Cherokee); the Black Knights sought their fourth championship in a span of five seasons.

Not to mention, the potential of the No. 1 seed in the 1A West bracket was up for grabs. The stakes literally could not have been higher.

And the showdown delivered. A smash-mouth, low-scoring war played out before an overflow crowd at Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium. The first and fourth quarters were scoreless. There were more defensive touchdowns than offensive.

But in the end, it was Robbinsville that stood tall. A short, low pass from Keyanthae Graham to Reese Winchester resulted in a quick tackle by Knights free safety Donovan Carpenter. With 2:27 to play, Swain County’s pursuit of regular-season perfection ended at its own 41-yard line – and the Black Knights were back to prominence.

“This is great,” said running back Cuttler Adams. “We’re believing and having faith, keeping the Lord first. We’re going to keep working and getting better every week.”

It would be inaccurate to say that Adams single-handedly lifted Robbinsville (9-1, 5-0) to the conference mountaintop Friday – after all, the Black Knights Swarm was on full display against Swain County (9-1, 4-1); the Devils finished the night limited to 151 total yards of offense and Robbinsville kept the much-hyped ground attack of Swain senior Josh Collins limited to 68 yards on 23 carries.

After the first drive of the game looked to stall out for Robbinsville, a punt was errantly touched by the Devils – and sophomore linebacker Ryelon Waldroup was more than happy to snag the loose ball and maintain possession for the Knights. Tanner Hedden later picked off Winchester in the fourth quarter, after sacking him in the first.

But Hedden’s nab was the second one for Robbinsville. The first one resonated all the way to the finish line – and yes, it was Adams who recorded it.

When the box score is printed, his name will be next to all the attributions for the Knights’ final tally. He scored the first – and only offensive – touchdown of the game on a 6-yard high-step with 11:09 left in the second quarter; when tasked with running in the conversion, he was more than happy to oblige.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Robbinsville found itself with a chance to open a 14-0 lead before the break – and more importantly, before Swain County got the ball back to begin the second half. But with 25 seconds remaining in the second, Josiah Glaspie intercepted a Carpenter pass and weaved 81 yards for the lone Devils touchdown of the evening. His conversion run sent the Black Knights into the locker room with a sour taste in their mouth, as the game was right back where it started: a deadlock.

“This is a brotherhood,” Adams explained. “We have the athleticism and the unity. Coming together is what’s going to help us make it. When Don threw that, I told him, ‘Just shake it off, man. We’ll get it back.’ We picked him up at halftime, came back out and won the game.”

Nobody can accuse Swain of rushing its third-quarter efforts. Starting at their own 36, the Devils slowly crept downfield and after a 10 1/2-minute drive, Winchester sought a short pass on 4th and goal, from the Robbinsville 3. He rolled out to the right, lofted the ball into the air – and Adams was there to greet it.

Showing utter disdain for his opponent’s abilities, Adams high-fived Hedden around the 30-yard line; and he did not stop until he reached the south end zone – 102 yards later.

“It come down to me and one man; we’ve worked on drills of getting by one man. (Assistant) coach (Dale) Farr has really worked with me on that,” Adams nodded. “When I got past him, it was open field. I knew that was going to change the game. I knew that sealed the deal.”

Adams will have to wait for the playoffs to break the all-time school and conference rushing record.

Friday, he had 117 yards on 25 carries. The effort drew him to within 107 of Rylee Anderson’s benchmark (6,164 yards, posted between 2016-19); Adams now has 6,057 to his credit. 

Look for more coverage in the Nov. 2 edition of The Graham Star.

Smoky Mountain Conference Round-Up: Oct. 27, 2023

Hayesville 14, Andrews 6;

Murphy 35, Cherokee 12;

Robbinsville 14, Swain County 8.