Robbinsville improves to 3-0, trumps Warriors
Asheville – What started as a first-half shootout evolved into a second-half blowout.
Robbinsville (3-0) clung to a 32-21 halftime lead over Erwin (0-3) on Friday night, but the Black Knights’ defense stepped up in the second half and held the hosting Warriors scoreless, which opened the door for the Knights to cultivate a resounding 54-21 victory.
“We should be scoring like that; we’ve got the athletes,” Black Knights head coach Dee Walsh said. “It was just a matter of us getting in shape, working out all of our kinks and playing four quarters.
“They started having a better ‘team-feel’ and that’s hard when it’s early (in the season). Now it’s more fun. They knew it was an important game, and they brought it.”
Lex Hooper set the tone for the high-octane affair on the first offensive snap of the game, taking a pitch from quarterback Nathan Collins before cutting to the left and sprinting 65 yards for a touchdown. Cody Cline’s extra point gave Robbinsville a 7-0 lead only 12 seconds into the evening.
A big third-down sack from Rossi Wachacha later forced an Erwin punt that would bring forth the next Knights scoring drive, which culminated with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Collins to Rylee Anderson.
Robbinsville carried its 14-0 lead into the second quarter, but the Warriors’ offense woke up. Erwin used the air game all night and finally found paydirt with 10:03 left in the half, after Jared Penland connected with Mikey Gettman for a 16-yard score.
The Knights responded immediately, with Anderson weaving through the Erwin defense and taking the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the house. The extra point was no good, which gave Erwin the chance to cut the deficit to six after Penland found Tristian Brank for a 15-yard score and kicker Frenando Marin split the uprights.
Robbinsville ate four minutes off the clock on its next possession, but the crawl paid dividends when Anderson broke free for a 21-yard run into the end zone. A failed two-point conversion allowed the Warriors to bring things to within five on the next drive, which ended when Penland aired out a 24-yard pass to Brank and Marin made the extra point.
Still, the Knights managed to head into the break with some added swagger, as Collins rumbled across the goal line on an 11-yard carry with nine seconds left in the half.
Erwin came out firing to begin the third quarter, starting at its own 23 but marching down to the Robbinsville 8. However, Colby Lovin scooped up a Warriors fumble to spurn the 9-play effort and Robbinsville took full advantage of the gift when Hooper capped off a long drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Cline’s extra point was good, which gave the Knights a 39-21 lead.
Robbinsville then firmly put the momentum of the game in its own hands, as the Knights recovered a botched kickoff return at the Erwin 36. Warriors players held their heads in their hands in disbelief during the aftermath, as the reality sank in that a slim 5-point deficit was long gone. Anderson appeared to trip while carrying the ball two plays later, but miraculously kept his balance, finding the end zone for the fourth time in the game. Cline’s point-after made it 46-21, Knights.
Erwin next turned the ball over on downs at the Robbinsville 11, with the Knights responding by piecing together a 13-play drive that spilled into the fourth quarter and ended when Hooper found the end zone for the third time on a 1-yard push.
Both sides traded punts, but the Warriors came out on the bad end of things when Robbinsville’s launch stopped at the 2-yard line. A fumble in the end zone stamped the commanding win for the Black Knights with a late safety.
“We know where we want to be and we’re getting there, slowly but surely,” Walsh added. “The coaches made some great defensive adjustments at halftime. We got beat a couple of times deep, but those things are going to happen.”
Rabun Gap on tap
Robbinsville will host Rabun Gap, Ga., for its second home game of the year Friday night. Kickoff at Big Oaks Stadium will be at 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles (2-1) gave the Knights all they could handle in last season’s showdown, which ended with a well-earned 43-34 Robbinsville triumph.
But three games into the year and over halfway through the non-conference slate, Walsh believes the Knights are in better shape – both physically and mentally – than they were at this point in 2018. Rabun Gap will depend heavily on the air game, something fresh on Robbinsville’s mind in the ground-and-pound atmosphere of the Smoky Mountain Conference.
“They’re huge up front and they have some really, really good skill people,” Walsh said of the Eagles. We’ve got our hands full, but that’s good. If you’re playing people that’s not competing and you’re just getting wins, you’re not getting better. If you want to compete in our league, we better play somebody tough and try to get better.
“You can never compare one team to another. You’re got to go with what you’ve got. We’re tickled to be 3-0 and feel like we’re improving each game. We don’t want to be at our best right now; we want to be at our best at the end of the year.”