The Hayesville Yellow Jackets welcomed Robbinsville to Frank R. Long Memorial Stadium Friday, March 5 for game two of the season. Hayesville entered the contest 0-1 after their loss to Franklin just four days earlier and the defending state champion Knights were 1-0 following their victory over Rosman in week one.
A surprise on-side kick caught Robbinsville off guard and the Yellow Jackets recovered. Momentum stayed with Hayesville as they took the ball down the field and senior Blake McClure snagged a pass from Logan Caldwell and found the end zone for the score. A successful PAT from Isaac Chandler gave Hayesville a 7-0 lead.
The Black Knights answered with a score of their own and their defense created havoc for Hayesville’s offense. Robbinsville took control of the game and led 17-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Knights parlayed a fumble into a 74-yard touchdown. Scoring was limited to Robbinsville’s effort until Caldwell hit Kyle Lunsford for a 4-yard Yellow Jacket touchdown with 8:47 left in the game to make the score 31-14.
The Black Knights added another touchdown and PAT to their side of the scoreboard with 3:46 to play which made the score 38-14 — the eventual final.
“We got off to a good start,” said coach Chad McClure. “We wanted to do something to build our confidence to and we executed well and got an early lead.” McClure said Robbinsville’s line was a key in their win. “They were big up front and I feel like we played them pretty close in the first half, but the second half we kind of got wore down.”
Overall, McClure was encouraged with his team’s performance. “We made mistakes, but the guys are responding well, building confidence and fighting no matter the situation.”
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Jackets as the Murphy Bulldogs invade Hayesville Friday, March 12. A limited amount of tickets will be made available to the public at the ticket gate. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Fans who can’t make it to the game can follow the action on the Clay County Progress and Clay County Sports Facebook pages thanks to our live scoreboard. Information such as the score, quarter, possession and game clock time will be available at a glance and updated in real time.
Leaders vs Robbinsville
Logan Caldwell: two touchdown passes, 134 total yards.
Blake McClure: touchdown, 96 total yards.
Kyle Lunsford: touchdown, 37 total yards.
Tyler Anderson: 50 total yards.
Cable Krieger: 11 total tackles