Robbinsville High School did not waste time in finding its next head football coach.

The Black Knights have promoted Lucas Ford to the top role in the program. Ford had been serving as the defensive coordinator on staff and has been the head girls basketball coach for the Black Knights for eight seasons. Ford arrived to the Robbinsville football program in 2005.

The news was first reported by Kevin Hensley of The Graham Star and has been confirmed by HighSchoolOT.

Ford has been a key member of the Robbinsville staff during Dee Walsh’s strong 16-year second tenure as the coach.

Robbinsville won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A championsips in 2014 and 2019, as well as a 1A West regional championship in 2015. Robbinsville also finished as the 1A West runner-up in 2009, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2023. Robbinsville won Smoky Mountain Conference titles in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, and 2023.

Ford is 138-61 as the head girls basketball coach. The Lady Black Knights have gone on multiple deep playoff runs under Ford’s leadership. The team is currently 9-9 overall this season.

In 2024, the Black Knights produced a 7-7 overall finish and a 4-1 finish in the SMC. Robbinsville advanced to the fourth round of the 1A West playoffs, where it fell to Smoky Mountain Conference foe Murphy on the road.

With an average daily membership of 334 students, Robbinsville will remain a 1A program after the NCHSAA realigns into eight classifications later this year. In the second draft of proposed new conferences, Robbinsville was placed in a 13-team 1A/2A split conference. These conferences are subject to change following the appeals period.