Photo from Jenny Millsaps

Week 3 SMC Football Reactions

#TeamFYNsports Director Jake West gives his thoughts and takeaways from Week 3 of Smoky Mountain Conference play.

Robbinsville Still On Top

The Black Knights traveled to Murphy with nothing to lose. Everyone had already written them off. With 5 starters out while coming off back-to-back losses, things weren’t looking good in The Ville. Murphy was a heavy favorite heading into this one, and even some of the Black Knights faithful didn’t have a lot of confidence that their boys could pull it out. But that’s why they play the game. Robbinsville played 4 quarters of smash-mouth football. They played from behind for much of the game, but it never seemed like they were going to lose this game. Robbinsville simply wanted it more. Kage Williams put the team on his back, rushing for 134 yards on 19 carries, while also notching 2 scores. Jaret Panama also had double digits carries and was a wrinkle in the Black Knights offense that the Bulldogs defense definitely didn’t see coming. The big guys up front are always a problem, and Carlos Wesley and Carson White proved they are 2 of the top lineman in the area. Dasan Gross managed the game well at QB for the Knights, hooking up with Brock Adams 3 times for 40 yards. Robbinsville executed their gameplan to perfection and simply put: They outplayed Murphy in all 3 facets of the game. ESPECIALLY THE KICKING GAME. How about Senior Kicker Cody Kline!? Have a night young man. I haven’t seen a kid as clutch as he is in a long time. He was 3/3 on field goals, including the game tying 46 yarder and game winning 43 yarder as time expired. In my opinion, the Robbinsville team we saw tonight is the best team in the conference. It all depends on which Robbinsville team shows up.  I’m not saying Robbinsville is the best team in the SMC, as it stands right now Swain is the team to beat. But, this Robbinsville team that showed up tonight, they could definitely make a run at a state title. If they can prove that they can consistently bring IT like they did tonight, then watch out. 

As for Murphy, some changes have to be on the way. Bulldog fans had hoped that the defense had figured some things out in their previous 2 games, but obviously they’re back to square one. If my math is correct, they gave up 250 first half rushing yards to a Robbinsville team that didn’t even have their starting back. That’s not winning football. That’s not Murphy football. They have to get back to their old ways if they want to compete. It starts with the little things like finishing a play when you’re 10 yards away from the ball, not jumping offsides when it’s 4th and 5, and keeping your composure when tensions rise. Giving up free yards to good teams, you’re just shooting yourself in the foot. 

As good as this conference is this year, they are going to be in a dogfight every Friday from here on out. In their next game against Swain, it’s put up or shut up time for the Dogs. Time to show if you’re going to bounce back after a bad loss, or lay down and give up. My guess is the former. There’s some real Dogs on this team, they just need everyone to buy in. Don’t jump ship yet, there’s still a lot of football to be played.  An SMC title is still in play. 

Maroon Machine Keeps Truckin’

Pretty much what we expected from the Swain County Maroon Devils as they traveled to Hayesville to take on the Jackets. It was all Swain all night, as they beat Hayesville 42-14. The biggest takeaway for me in this one, is the fact that Swains offense showed they can put up points. The biggest question surrounding Swain this year was if their offense was potent enough to win SMC ballgames. If tonight was any indicator, the answer is yes. I know it was against a young Hayesville team, but if you’re a Swain County fan you’ve gotta be ecstatic about the way your offensive unit performed tonight. 

It’s apparent their defense is one of the top in our area, and they’ll have to rely heavily on that defense to finish the year on top. I said it last week and I’ll say it again this week, they’re a team that finds ways to win ballgames. Its ugly, it’s not fun to watch (unless you’re a Maroon Devil fan), but it gets the job done. No one, aside from the Swain Co. faithful, thought that the Devils would be atop the conference at this point in the year- yet here they are. It’s their conference title to lose at this point, and I expect them to fight tooth and nail to keep it that way. 

Braves Spoil Wildcats Homecoming

It wasn’t pretty, but Cherokee found a way to pull off a 12-9 win over Andrews despite turning the ball over 4 times. Usually when a team wins the turnover battle by as large of a margin as Andrews did tonight they come out on top, but Andrews offense just couldn’t get going. They sputtered from start to finish, and it was apparent their guys aren’t 100 percent. With as shallow as their roster is, they can’t just plug and play guys like some of the bigger schools in the area are able to. Still, an impressive performance from their defense kept them in this game, and they had a chance to put together a game winning drive as time was expiring but were unable to find the endzone. I know it’s back-to-back losses for the Cats, but I’m still a believer that they can finish strong. They’re a bounce or two away from being 7-0 instead of 5-2. Unfortunately for Andrews, they will travel to The Big Oaks next week to face Robbinsville. With as up and down as everyone has been this year though, who knows what will happen. 

Three Way Tie?

The current SMC standings are:

1. Swain (2-0)
2. Murphy (2-1)
3. Cherokee (2-1)
4. Robbinsville (1-1)
5. Andrews (1-2)
6. Hayesville (0-3)

Grab your popcorn. The way things are shaping up, we could have a three way tie for first place in the conference. To finish the year:

Robbinsville has Andrews-Swain-Hayesville

Cherokee has Hayesville-Swain

Murphy has Swain-Andrews

Swain has Murphy-Robbinsvile-Cherokee

In my opinion, Swain has the toughest schedule to end the year. They host Murphy next Friday, travel to Robbinsville the following Tuesday, and finish with Cherokee at home. If they are able to come out of that gauntlet undefeated, then they definitely earned the SMC championship crown that will be placed on their head. But, if they were to stumble then I think there would be a three way tie for first place in the SMC. If Cherokee, Murphy and Robbinsville all win out, then they will all finish with the same conference record. 

If Swain beats Cherokee but Murphy and Robbinsville win out, then Robbinsville will be champs.

There are a lot of different combinations that could happen, but the only thing for sure is that Swain controls their own destiny. They win 2 of the next 3, they’re standing atop the mountain alone as SMC Champions once again, in a year that most people picked them to finish dead last. 

Week 2 SMC Football Reactions

#TeamFYNsports Director Jake West’s takeaways and thoughts from Week 2 of Smoky Mountain Conference play.

What a night in Western North Carolina. Without a doubt the best night of Football this year. I know nobody asked, but here’s what I thought about a wild week 2 in the SMC-

Taking Care of Business

Perhaps the only game in the conference that went the way most felt it would. Murphy took care of business on Homecoming night and put on an impressive display of football, defeating Hayesville, 56-14. Kellen Rumfelt bounced back from a shaky performance last week against Cherokee and went 6/8 through the air for 117 yards and 2 TDs.

Most importantly though for the Bulldogs, they seem to be getting things worked out on the defensive side of the ball. Joe Swain made his presence felt at OLB, a position we haven’t seen him play this year. Big #78 Rylan Smith also made an immediate impact after missing last week’s game. Hunter Stalcup is also emerging as a hidden gem on this Murphy roster, rushing for 180 yards and 2 TDs tonight on only 7 carries. You’ve gotta be happy with what you saw last night from your guys on both sides of the ball if you’re Bulldogs head coach Joseph Watson. 

The Murphy team that showed up tonight is completely different than what we’ve seen this year. They played with fire and passion, something that’s been lacking thus far. With the gauntlet of a schedule that Murphy is facing to end the regular season, let’s hope the Dogs worked out all their wrinkles in this blowout win over Hayesville.

Undefeated No More! 

Swain defends their home-field on Homecoming night, defeating previously unbeaten Andrews 21-12.

My biggest takeaway from this game was the lineplay of Andrews. With the Cats being a run first Football team, their smaller O-Line has to find a way to compete against the bigger D-lines in the SMC. Andrews will be back at home next week against a Cherokee team that just upset Robbinsville, so we will see if they can bounce back. Andrews also was as one dimensional of a football team as they come last night. 2/16 through the air isn’t going to open up holes for your run game. Your bread and butter is the run game everyone knows that, but you’ve gotta get the D on their heels and make them respect the pass so they’ll stop stacking the box on ya.  As far as Swain is concerned, they seem to be a team that is just going to do what they have to do to win. As cliche as that sounds, what I mean is that even though they aren’t really dominant on the ground or through the air offensively- they put up enough points to win ballgames and their defense is strong enough to get stops when it matters. Their D held an Andrews team that was averaging 356 yards rushing per game this year, to only 206 yards of total offense. It might not be pretty or the most fun to watch, but they’re gonna do what it takes to win.

Don Bradley For Heisman

Heart doesn’t show up in the record books, but if it did Cherokee’s Don Bradley would be a hall of famer. Cherokee beat Robbinsville 20-7 thanks partly to the fact that they won the turnover battle, and partly because they wanted it more.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Collins Millsaps

Don Bradley is the epitome of a QB1. He leads his team and gets his guys up even when he’s not on the field. When you have good team chemistry and mix that with good coaching and great athletes, you have a formula for a winning football team. Sure, Robbinsville had a lot of guys missing from this game due to injury, but you’ve gotta hand it to the Brave’s, they got the job done. They’re a missed extra point away from beating Murphy and Robbinsville in back to back weeks. Don’t sleep on Cherokee. 

As for Robbinsville, they’re a young football team that can’t stop making mistakes. They have turned the ball over-give or take-10 times through 5 games. That’s unheard of out of Robbinsville, a team that is usually very disciplined. One could argue that if they could’ve kept from coughing up the football, they’d be sitting here at 4-1 instead of 2-3. It just seems like the Knights can’t catch a break. First COVID has them miss 2 weeks, now injuries have knocked out a handful of their starters. I would venture to guess they’ll get things figured out, they always do. That’s the good thing about a young team, they can learn and grow from their mistakes. I’ll say this, even with their recent struggles- no one is looking forward to playing the Black Knights, and we’re in for a slobber knocker next week as they travel to Murphy. 

Fetch Your News Sports presents their first annual All Smoky Mountain Conference preseason football teams. Players were nominated in each position by head coaches from the Smoky Mountain Conference. Final decisions on each position were voted on by the Fetch Your News sports writing staff.

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year:

Blake McClure (Hayesville)

Yousef Mugharbil (Murphy)

Quarterback:

Nathan Collins (Robbinsville)

Running Back/Fullback:

Blake McClure (Hayesville)

Lex Hooper (Robbinsville)

Ray Rathburn (Murphy)

Wide Receiver/Tight End:

Payton McCracken (Murphy)

Gage Gillespie (Andrews)

Offensive Line:

Candler Edwards (Robbinsville)

Yousef Mugharbil (Murphy)

Aaron Phillips (Robbinsville)

Ethan Taylor (Hayesville)

Carlos Wesley (Robbinsville)

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year:

Rossi Wachacha (Robbinsville)

Defensive Line:

Rashad Davis (Murphy)

Kyle Lunsford (Hayesville)

Rylan Smith (Murphy)

Rossi Wachacha (Robbinsville)

Linebacker:

Drew Martin (Andrews)

Ray Rathburn (Murphy)

Carson Taylor (Swain)

Defensive Back:

Juan Allen (Murphy)

Cable Krieger (Hayesville)

Payton McCracken (Murphy)

Tyler Stamey (Rosman)

Kicker:

Cody Cline (Robbinsville)

Punter:

Blake McClure (Hayesville)

Athlete:

Don Bradley (Cherokee)

Preseason coaches poll

    This poll was voted on by the conference coaches

#1 Robbinsville

#2 Murphy

#3 Hayesville

#4 Swain

#5 Andrews

#6 Cherokee

#7 Rosman

Conference overview:

The conference of champions is ready to embark on their first Spring football season. Even thought the dates may have changed, many things remain the same, including Murphy and Robbinsville being touted as two of the top teams in 1A football. In fact both teams are so strong this year that if Murphy classifies as a 1AA school in playoffs, it would not be a shock to see both teams win state. As well, it is fitting that the Knights and the Bulldogs meet up in the final game of the season. Most would anticipate the April 9th matchup to decide the conference winner.

Around the conference there are many interesting story lines. Can Hayesville improve in year two under Head Coach Chad McClure and break into the top three of the conference?  What do Rosman and Swain look like under first year head coaches? Can Andrews build on last year’s JV championship team? Time will tell, and remember Fetch Your News is the place to go when looking for stories, information, pictures, exclusive interviews and more when it comes to Smoky Mountain Conference football.

Andrews:

Andrews Head Coach James Phillips enters his fifth season as head coach of the Andrews Wildcats. Andrews has grown each year since Phillips took over as coach and had their best season yet last year. If not for a blocked kick against Hayesville last year they would have had a winning record. With Gavin Wilson leading the offense in their patented veer Andrews will look to control the tempo against their opponents. On defense they will be led by FYN preseason All-SMC linebacker Drew Martin. Andrews also will be reinforced by a sophomore class that won the conference in Junior Varsity last season.

Cherokee:

Returning to lead the program for the second year is head coach David Napert. Looking to improve on a 2-10 record from last year Cherokee will be led on offense by QB Don Bradley. Their offense has some good weapons and will look to confuse teams using a multiple approach. On defense they will be led by a strong linebacking core. To have a better season though their defense will need to improve after giving up an average of 42 points per game last season.

Hayesville:

Coming off their first winning season in over a decade, Head Coach Chad McClure will look to build on the success of his first season during year two running the program. The Yellow Jackets will lean heavily on  FYN preseason offensive player of the year Blake McClure. The App St. preferred walk on is a load to bring down with the ball in his hands but also has the speed to run away from opposing defenders. Hayesville is looking to break into the big three, working for a top three finish in conference this year.

Murphy:

Led by legendary coach David Gentry entering his 37th season Murphy will look to add another state championship to their trophy case. Running behind four star Florida Gator recruit Yousef Mugharbil Murphy will look to pound it down teams throat on offense running their classic Wing-T. With much of their running game production having graduated don’t be surprised to see them throw a little more this year. Especially with the dynamic Junior duo of QB Kellen Rumfelt and WR Peyton McCracken. FYN predicts the conference winner to come down to a Murphy-Robbinsville matchup this year.

Robbinsville:

Dee Walsh is coming into his 16th season and will look to have his team repeat as state champions, and quite possibly run the table for their second unbeaten season in a row. After the graduation of star running back Rylee Anderson, the Black Knights will turn to the two headed monster of QB Nathan Collins and RB Lex Hooper. Expect these two to give opposing defensive coordinators headaches all season. On defense they are led by FYN preseason player of the year Rossi Wachacha. As previously said it is very likely that the conference championship will come down to Robbinsville or Murphy.

Rosman:

The Tigers are currently in a stage of rebuilding, things are looking promising though under first year head coach Dusty Robinson. Robinson is a former legendary Rosman player himself, many in the community are excited about his hire. They will be looking to get back to their roots running the triple option on offense. On defense they will be led by FYN preseason All-SMC DB Tyler Stamey who will be leading their secondary.

Swain:

With the sudden news of head coach Neil Blankenship taking a leave of absence for the season, the Maroon Devils will be led by first year interim coach Eric Stephenson. Most do not know what to expect with less than five returning starters this year. The Swain program is traditionally strong & Thankfully they do have returning QB Damion Lossiah to lead them on offense. Lossiah will be tasked with making the correct reads in their veer offense throughout the season. On defense they are led by FYN preseason All-SMC LB Carson Taylor.