Early goal explosion propels Polk Middle past Rugby

Cole Huntley spent part of Friday afternoon taking part in some extra shooting practice with Polk Middle head soccer coach Lennox Charles.

There may be a few more Wolverines at the next such workout.

Huntley scored three goals in the first 15 minutes Monday, part of an early Polk Middle scoring flurry that powered the Wolverines to a 6-1 victory over Rugby Middle at Utz Field.

Polk Middle (7-1-1) scored twice in the first three minutes, thrice in the first 10 and led 4-0 at the midway mark of the first half. The match with the Raiders (4-3) almost felt over before it began, which was more than fine with Charles.

“These games get me anxious,” the veteran head coach said. “The kids kept saying this and this about matches Rugby had played, but I keep telling them that I don’t look at the scores. I won’t look at the scores until we get through the first half of conference and I’ve seen them with my own eyes.

“Those quick goals were big for us. The two quick goals put them on their heels, and we actually took advantage of having the momentum. At Brevard we scored two quick goals and the momentum went down. We kept it today.”

Huntley and Hunter Ledford each scored in the match’s opening minutes to give Polk that quick two-goal advantage. Huntley added his second goal in the 10th minute, tapping in a cross from Luke Garrison, then scored again in the 15th minute as he outraced the Rugby defense to a header flicked forward by Oakley Whiteside, dribbled in and hit a low shot that the Rugby goalkeeper deflected, but could not stop.

The Raiders scored just before the half to make it 4-1, but the Wolverines regained the four-goal lead early in the second half as Ross Dow connected on a long drive that cleared the keeper and settled into the net. Owen Highsmith then closed the scoring with a header off a Dow throw-in, looping that into the goal.

“Both of those early goals were good shots, and we followed that up by staying intense,” Charles said. “We really put the game away in the first 15 minutes.”

Charles spent extended time following the match talking to his squad, reminding them that the entire second half of the conference schedule awaits. While Polk Middle leads the East Division at present, “we’ve not won anything yet,” Charles noted.

Polk Middle begins its second pass through the East Division on Wednesday, traveling to Apple Valley.

“The good news is that there is still a lot for me to correct going into Wednesday,” Charles said. “We have plenty of things where we can improve.”