Robbinsville – It was another tough night in the Smoky Mountain Conference for Andrews. The Black Knights controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the night and never trailed, handing the Wildcats their third straight loss, 24-14.
“The long and short of the story is, we just got beat up front,” Andrews head coach James Phillips said.
Like the previous two losses, the defense for Andrews (5-3 overall, 1-3 Smoky Mountain Conference) held up well, while the offense didn’t do enough. The Wildcats did not get a first down in the first half, and finished with just 33 rushing yards.
That forced Andrews to throw more than it had all season. Quarterback Donovan Bateman completed 12 of 30 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, though many of those yards came when the game was almost decided.
“It’s just kind of something maybe I should’ve done a little earlier in the first half,” Phillips said. “Maybe I was just a little too stubborn in the run game.”
The Wildcats’ defense gave up 278 yards, even with star running back Cuttler Adams back, Robbinsville (4-3, 2-1) ran for just 3.6 yards per carry. For Andrews, the little things made the difference for the third straight week.
After Adams 1-yard run on fourth and goal gave the Black Knights the lead in the second quarter, the Wildcats fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later, Adams was back in the end zone after a 30-yard touchdown run.
“Small things like that is what we’ve continued to talk about the past three weeks,” Phillips said. “You’re a couple of plays here and there against Swain, Cherokee and Robbinsville and Murphy won’t be any different. When you’re playing against good teams, whoever makes the least amount of mistakes and does the small things well is usually going to win.”
Andrews finally got on the board after a blocked punt gave the Wildcats prime field position, Bateman hit Isaac Weaver for a 23-yard touchdown. It looked like they had forced a Robbinsville three-and-out on the following drive, but were called for roughing the kicker on the punt.
The Black Knights took advantage, and Kage Williams finished off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown run with 9:56 left. Cody Cline’s 43-yard field goal with 4:20 left extended Robbinsville’s lead to 24-7, effectively putting the game out of reach for Andrews.
Isaac Weaver’s 13-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 24-14 with 2:35 left. The Wildcats tried to drive down the field again, but time ran out.
Andrews wraps up its season with a home game against Murphy, the county foe they haven’t beaten since 1981. Not only would a win end the Wildcats’ 43-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, but it would mean Andrews would have a home game in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A playoffs.
“We’ve certainly got our work cut out for us,” Phillips said. “Our kids have been resilient all year, and they love to play the game of football. I imagine they’ll show up (to practice) ready to go.”