LadyKnights

Lady Knights senior Zoie Shuler takes flight during the finals of Saturday’s state indoor track triple jump  competition. Shuler claimed her 4th triple jump state championship on her final attempt. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Lady Knights senior Zoie Shuler takes flight during the finals of Saturday’s state indoor track triple jump competition. Shuler claimed her 4th triple jump state championship on her final attempt. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Best for last

Zoie Shuler stands atop the awards podium at the conclusion of Saturday's 1A/2A state indoor track meet, proudly displaying the gold (triple jump) and silver (long jump) medals she collected during the competition. Winston-Salem – Zoie Shuler earned every bit of her ninth state championship.

Woes of the road

Hayesville – Try as they may, the Lady Knights could only serve one cold plate of revenge during a 3-game road trip. Robbinsville went 1-2 away from its friendly confines this week, with a season split Friday against Andrews wedged between a non-conference loss at Hiwassee Dam on Feb.

Last hurrahs; 1st time greetings

*State indoor track preview A nice balance of newcomers and veterans will make the trek to Winston-Salem on Saturday for the 1A/2A state indoor track championship meet.
Members of the Robbinsville Middle School Lady Knights celebrate after winning the 42nd Annual North Carolina Junior High State Championship on Saturday. Photos courtesy of Sarah Orr/Lady Knights Wrestling

Members of the Robbinsville Middle School Lady Knights celebrate after winning the 42nd Annual North Carolina Junior High State Championship on Saturday. Photos courtesy of Sarah Orr/Lady Knights Wrestling

Titles fit for queens

Advance – Against elite performers from around the state, Robbinsville showed why its wrestling program has a feared reputation.
Junior guard Claire Barlow fearlessly drives through four Hiwassee Dam defenders – Katie McNabb, Brinkley Payne, Olivia McNabb and Sky Taylor (from left) – in the second half of Jan. 25’s home game with the Eagles. Photos by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Junior guard Claire Barlow fearlessly drives through four Hiwassee Dam defenders – Katie McNabb, Brinkley Payne, Olivia McNabb and Sky Taylor (from left) – in the second half of Jan. 25’s home game with the Eagles. Photos by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Reclaiming their yard: girls end home skid

Robbinsville – Completing the season sweep over a fierce conference rival helped the Lady Knights end the week with a feather in their cap.
Amidst a first-quarter flurry, no one was at the basket to stop Xamuel Wachacha’s transition basket – and if they dared to interfere with the proceedings, Eli Lambert had a front-row seat to the bucket. Photo by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Amidst a first-quarter flurry, no one was at the basket to stop Xamuel Wachacha’s transition basket – and if they dared to interfere with the proceedings, Eli Lambert had a front-row seat to the bucket. Photo by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

How legends are made

Robbinsville – It was over before it really got started. Following a 10-day layoff, the Robbinsville Middle School Black Knights (No. 1 seed) showed no signs of rust when they hit the floor to duke it out with the Andrews Wildcats (No. 4) in Jan.
Senior power forward Aubrie Wachacha was not fazed by Swain County’s Carley Teesateskie (12) and  Molleigh Woodard (14) while putting up this inside shot Tuesday night. Photo by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Senior power forward Aubrie Wachacha was not fazed by Swain County’s Carley Teesateskie (12) and Molleigh Woodard (14) while putting up this inside shot Tuesday night. Photo by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Lady Knights back to .500 in conference

Robbinsville – Inclement weather built a 12-day gap between games for the Robbinsville High basketball program. The Swain County Devils waited in the wings.
The Robbinsville Black Knights gather around their 27th Smoky Mountain Conference title, moments after defeating Swain County on Monday to clinch the prize. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

The Robbinsville Black Knights gather around their 27th Smoky Mountain Conference title, moments after defeating Swain County on Monday to clinch the prize. Photos by Kevin Hensley/sports@grahamstar.com

Many have tried; many have fallen

Bryson City – With all the well-documented success the Robbinsville wrestling program has experienced since its 1976 launch, it would be easy to assume that an air of superiority exists for the Knights in the Smoky Mountain Conference.

Overtime thriller

Robbinsville – Inclement weather has thrown the 2023-24 Smoky Mountain Conference Middle School Tournament into chaos. All six of the scheduled quarterfinal games took place Saturday, but the semifinals have been placed on ice – not once, but twice.
Robbinsville’s Novie Dutcher (left) and Abby Wehr close in for a corner trap on  Nantahala’s Zoey Passmore during the Lady Knights’ Jan. 11’s road win. Photos by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Robbinsville’s Novie Dutcher (left) and Abby Wehr close in for a corner trap on Nantahala’s Zoey Passmore during the Lady Knights’ Jan. 11’s road win. Photos by Fala Welch/The Graham Star

Hawk-eye accuracy

Trey Lambert soars past the defense of Nantahala’s Landon Neal for a fourth-quarter basket Jan. 11. Nantahala – Set to embark on a 3-game loop through 75 percent of the Little Smoky Mountain Conference, Robbinsville’s time on the road was limited to just one game last week.