Allison Provides Second-Half Spark as Robbinsville Falls to Franklin

FRANKLIN, N.C. — Robbinsville wasn’t able to get much going early Friday night at Franklin, but the Black Knights may have found something worth building on in the second half.

Franklin handed Robbinsville a 31-7 loss, dropping the Black Knights to 0-2 on the young season. The final score wasn’t what Robbinsville wanted, but a second-half change at quarterback provided one of the more interesting takeaways from the night.

Junior Cam Allison moved under center after halftime and seemed to breathe some life into the Black Knight offense.

Allison completed 2-of-9 passes for 35 yards while also carrying the ball 15 times for 44 yards and Robbinsville’s lone touchdown. The numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, but his ability to make plays with his legs gave the Knights another dimension offensively and helped get things moving after a difficult first half.

It will be interesting to see what Robbinsville does at quarterback going forward.

Allison’s athleticism and ability to make something happen when a play breaks down seemed to fit what the Black Knights needed Friday night. With an offense still trying to find its identity early in the season, putting the ball in the hands of one of its better athletes on every snap could be something worth sticking with.

Sophomore Eli Chekelelee also provided a spark on the ground, carrying five times for 45 yards and averaging nine yards per attempt.

Xamuel Wachacha led Robbinsville through the air with two catches for 35 yards, including a 28-yard reception. Eli Lambert added three receptions, while Braydon Lane hauled in one catch.

As a team, Robbinsville finished with 148 yards of total offense: 100 rushing and 48 passing. Obviously thats not enough production to win games against good teams, but they’ve improved from week 1 to week 2 and if they can continue that trend they will be right where they need to be come Conference play.

Franklin quarterback Anderson Terrell was the difference-maker for the Panthers. Terrell threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns while completing nearly 78 percent of his passes. He added another 33 yards and a touchdown on the ground, accounting for all four of Franklin’s touchdowns.

The Panthers finished with 301 yards of total offense, but the Robbinsville defense still had several players put together productive nights.

Wachacha led the Knights with 11 tackles, while Landon Green finished with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Lane added eight tackles, Chekelelee recorded five, and Landon Eddings finished with three tackles and a tackle for loss.

For Robbinsville, the 0-2 start isn’t where the Knights wanted to be, but there were some encouraging signs in the second half Friday night.

Whether the move becomes permanent remains to be seen, but after the spark Allison provided against Franklin, quarterback will certainly be a position worth watching as Robbinsville moves forward.

The Knights will now turn their attention to their home opener against Mountain Heritage Friday night at 7:30 p.m.