(Graham County, NC) – A little over three months ago, Dee Walsh and the Robbinsville Black Knights’ football team were uncertain where they would be playing home football games for the season. Fast forward to November 15th, and the 11-1 Black Knights are set to host their 6th straight game under The Big Oaks, and Friday night’s matchup will be the biggest one yet.

Two Smoky Mountain Conference titans are set for a “rematch” for this year’s SMC Title game, as the Swain County Maroon Devils (also 11-1) travel to Graham County to take on the one-loss Robbinsville Black Knights in the third round of the NCHSAA 1A State Playoffs.

Two of the top-10 winningest teams in the history of the North Carolina State Playoffs, the Maroon Devils and Black Knights are both looking to get the upper hand on Friday night.

Here are our keys to success for both teams, plus our thoughts on who will be moving on to Round four.  

Swain County

The Maroon Machine has looked like just that – a Machine – through the first two rounds of the NCHSAA State Playoffs. Defensively, Swain County has done an outstanding job all year shutting down opposing teams offenses, and they’ve continued to do that in the Playoffs. But more importantly, it seems their offense has found another gear.

While the Devils haven’t found themselves lined up across from top ranked teams by any means, it is still good to see them move the ball efficiently and hold onto the football, something that was lacking in their first matchup versus Robbinsville.

Keys To The Game

HOLD ONTO THE FOOTBALL

In their first round matchup vs Avery County, Swain ended the game without an offensive turnover for the first time this season! Holding onto the football has been an obvious struggle for the Devils, and that is something they must do versus Robbinsville if they want to advance to Round four.

You absolutely cannot afford to give this Robbinsville team free possessions. When Swain County’s offense takes the field on Friday night, they are going to have to find a way to come away with points. Momentum is going to play a huge factor in this game Friday night, and you’re going to need it on your side if you want to win. Swain opened up the second half of their last matchup with Robbinsville with a 10-minute drive on offense that ended up with 0 points on the board. Long, monotonous drives are a good way to wear down this tenacious Robbinsville defense, but in terms of momentum shifts, I think Swain also has to come out swinging early in this one and hit on a few chunk plays from scrimmage to change the tempo of the game. Swain HAS to come out and punch Robbinsville in the mouth early and prove that their offense can score. 

TRUST YOUR QB

Maroon Devil quarterback Reese Winchester did not have a memorable game the first time out against Robbinsville, but that doesn’t mean Head Coach Sherman Holt won’t lean on him the second time around. Winchester will have to throw the ball down field and do it efficiently so that the Black Knights’ defense backs off the line of scrimmage a bit and respects the pass, which will in turn open up more opportunities for Collins and Glaspie to shine on the ground. If the Knights are comfortable stacking the box and aren’t worried about the possibility of Swain stretching the field, it will once again be tough sledding for the Swain backfield who averaged just three yards per carry in their last showing against Robbinsville. 

GET GLASPIE INVOLVED

This obviously piggybacks off of the “Trust your QB” key point we just discussed, as the passing game will be one of the ways to get Josiah Glaspie involved and into open space. Glaspie is one of the fastest players on the field on any given Friday night, and the Devils have to find a way to get him into the open field this week. He is a gamebreaker for the Maroon Machine, with big play ability everytime he touches the football. If #13 gets 10-12 touches Friday night, it could shift the pendulum in the Devils’ direction. 

Robbinsville

The Knights have had the Maroon Devils number over the last couple of years, winning six straight versus the boys from Bryson City. While you can bet that this Swain County team will throw everything they’ve got at The Ville this time around, it should be comforting to know as a Robbinsville fan that your coaching staff seems to have the upper hand in scheming things up for this particular matchup. 

Keys To The Game

TRUST YOUR DEFENSE

As far as Robbinsville is concerned, The reason you are in the spot you’re in right now is because of your defense. The Knights lead the SMC in takeaways this season,  and a 100 yard interception returned for a TD is the reason they are Smoky Mountain Conference Champions for the 27th time. If things aren’t clicking offensively against this ferocious front line the Devils have, don’t be afraid to put the game into the hands of your defense and allow them to make a play. With a defense like Robbinsville possesses, I think it allows you to take more risks offensively, like going for it on fourth down and taking a few shots downfield with your Quarterback. 

FEED THE PIG

As long as #4 is playing for the Black Knights, this is a key to winning every game they are in. If you give Cuttler Adams the football, he makes things happen, and the Knights aren’t afraid to give him the football. Adams leads the SMC in rushing attempts so far this season. Even when it’s third and short and everyone in the stadium knows who is getting the ball, Adams finds a way to pick up the yards he needs. With a once in a blue moon player like #4, the key to winning games is easy – give him the football. 

MORE LEDBETTER = MORE PROBLEMS (FOR OPPOSING DEFENSES)

Darion Ledbetter is arguably the best wide receiver in the Smoky Mountain Conference. He is a nightmare for defenses in man-to-man coverage, and any expert gameplan will have him heavily in the mix. Quite the opposite of the point I was making for Swain and how they need the passing game to open up opportunities in the running game, the Knights ground game should allow them to take a few shots down field with Carpenter and Ledbetter. All it takes is one big completion where Robbinsville takes the top off the defense to really open things up for the Knights. I think we might see them look downfield early in the first quarter. Carpenter has also shown flashes with his legs, so instead of forcing something into coverage when he does drop back it would be nice to see him decide to take off and run instead. 

What To Expect

I don’t think you can read too much into what happened in the first matchup between these two teams. We saw the defenses flex their muscles back in October, but I look for some more points to be scored this time around. As far as Swain is concerned, they are going to have to have some “homerun” plays on offense if they want to win this football game. If it’s another grind-it-out, gut-it-out style game, Robbinsville will come out on top. If Swain hits on some big plays and has Robbinsville reeling early on, the Devils could be dancing in Round three.

This game will inevitably go one of two ways. 

If Robbinsville comes out and plays their game, sealing the edges and making Swain run the ball inside for little to no gain, Robbinsville will win 21-7. 

If Swain comes out and is able to get their guys in space, I look for it to go a little differently. Yes, Robbinsville can keep up with Swain offensively, and I’m not implying that the Devils come out and blow the doors off the Knights on the home field by any means. However, if Swain is able to turn it on offensively similarly to how they did in the second half against Murphy, then Swain will win, and it will look something like 34-28. 

As far as an actual prediction, I lean more towards 21-7 Robbinsville. The Black Knights’ defense will be too much to handle, and their offense will keep doing its thing. 

One thing is for certain – A Smoky Mountain Conference team will be playing in the fourth round of the NCHSAA Playoffs, and that is a victory for us all.