Last Friday night the Avery Vikings hoped to put the sting of the prior week’s loss to Cloudland behind them when they hosted the Robbinsville Knights in a Class 1A non-conference tilt. The Knights jostled and jousted its way through the Avery defense for over 400 yards on the evening en route to a 35-13 Vikings defeat.Avery looked poised to gain early control of the contest in its opening series. The Vikings offense used the I-formation with proficiency in the early going as a 48- yard run by senior quarterback Adam Pate rushed the Big Red inside the Knights 30 yard line. The drive stalled quickly as the Knights regrouped, holding Avery on downs four plays later.
Robbinsville came out firing on all cylinders offensively as its I-formation backfield consisting of running back Blake Anderson and fullback Kurt Odom helped the offense move swiftly downfield. An 18-yard run by Anderson was followed three plays later with a 45-yard gallop from Odom that took Robbinsville into the end zone for the first score of the night, giving the Smoky Mountain Conference contender the early 7-0 lead at the 7:49 mark of the first period.
Avery was held to a three-and-out on its next series, prompting the Knights again roll up yards on the ground. A nine-play drive featured seven running plays, but was capped by a nine-yard pass from quarterback Luke Perkins to Odom to give Robbinsville a 14-0 advantage.
Late in the period the Big Red looked to stifle the Knights’ momentum. Avery returned to its familiar spread attack offensively, but was stonewalled by the Robbinsville defense. Coach Darrell Brewer in an attempt to jump start the offense made the decision to go for a first down on a fourth down play near midfield, but Pate was hauled down in the backfield to turn the ball over on downs to the Knights.
As second quarter play started, the Knights showed little signs of slowing down. A key third down conversion pass play from Perkins to Anderson moved the Knights inside the red zone, and two plays later Odom rumbled over the goal line from six yards out. The extra point gave Robbinsville a commanding 21-0 advantage with 9:18 remaining in the half.Fortunes turned from bad to worse for the Big Red, as Luke Perkins intercepted Pate on Avery’s first play from scrimmage following the Odom score. Robbinsville immediately capitalized on the turnover, this time with a 35-yard touchdown strike from Perkins to wide receiver Randy Hernandez, digging the Vikings an even deeper hole at 28-0 with just under nine minutes left in the period.
The Vikings compiled their best drive of the half on its next series following the turnover, holding the football for ten plays and consuming over six minutes off the game clock. Avery marched using primarily the running of power running back Chase Arrowood and quarterback Pate. The drive stalled inside the red zone, however, as a fourth down pass play fell incomplete.
Following the change of possession, Robbinsville committed its first of five turnovers on the evening, a fumble that Avery defensive back Chris Eggers recovered near the Knights 30. The play was just what the doctor ordered for the ailing Vikings psyche, as a pass from Pate to running back Travis Thomas netted 25 yards and Pate raced across the goal line from a yard out to put Avery on the board at 28-7, providing a positive end to an otherwise forgettable first half.
As the second half played out, the Avery defense played inspired football, forcing three additional fumbles over the final two quarters. Robbinsville’s first drive of the second half resulted in a turnover, but Avery was forced to punt back to the Knights after the inability to take advantage of the turnover.
Robbinsville was held to three-and-out with its second drive and was forced to punt. The kick was blocked by Avery and advanced to the Knights 33-yard line. Avery took only four plays to score what proved to be its final touchdown of the evening, a six-yard scamper by Pate. The extra point was blocked, leaving Avery trailing 28-13 late in the third quarter.
Avery forced yet another turnover on Robbinsville’s next possession, and the Vikings drove 55 yards over 13 plays in the most important drive of the game, keeping the football for over eight minutes of clock time. Avery had a golden opportunity to cut the lead to a touchdown with a first and goal from the Knights 3-yard line. However, the Robbinsville defense stiffened, denying Avery the score on three consecutive run plays. On fourth down, a Pate pass sailing toward the end zone was intercepted by Jaron Ayers to turn the Big Red away with 4:46 left in the game.The Knights put the finishing touches on its win with a six play, 88-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 23-yard run by Anderson, a 22-yard pass from Perkins to Odom, and a 29-yard touchdown run by Odom, his third of the night, to provide the final margin in the 35-13 contest.
Avery falls to 0-2 on the season and look to capture its first victory of the season when it travels to Boone to play rival Watauga in the Battle for the Bucket this Friday night.
