Polk County endured.
Endured another injury. Endured a talented West Caldwell squad. Endured the kind of weather only a penguin could love.
And, as the playoffs demand, the Wolverines endured to find a path to victory Monday, topping West Caldwell 3–2 in a 3A third-round playoff clash at G.M. Tennant Stadium
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The victory moves Polk County (16-0-3) into the state quarterfinals and a rematch with Patton (20-2-2). The Panthers, whom Polk battled to a 2-2 draw earlier this season, easily pushed past Hendersonville 4-1 in their third-round match, setting up a showdown Thursday in Tennant Stadium for a spot in the 3A West Regional final.
The most anticipated aspect of Thursday’s match might well be the weather – the forecast calls for a high of 63 and a kickoff temperature in the 50s. That will be a welcome change from Monday’s misery, with a temperature of 31 at kickoff, 29 at match’s end, a steady wind and snow flurries adding to the atmosphere.
Jack Frost’s best efforts didn’t deter Polk County, which built a 3-1 lead midway through the second half and survived late drama, beginning with a handball in the penalty box that gave West Caldwell (15-7-2) a penalty kick with 4:02 remaining.
Polk goalkeeper Charlie Wagoner turned that one aside, diving to his left to deny West Caldwell’s Joel Briones. But the Warriors got a second chance with 1:15 remaining when Polk was whistled for a foul in the box. Kenneth Nunez took that one for the Warriors and tucked it neatly into the left corner, cutting the Wolverines’ lead to 3-2.
Polk ran out the final 75 seconds, though, without added damage.
“Charlie made a great play there,” said Polk County head coach George Alley. “I always tell the guys that it’s going to take three (goals) against good teams. They’re going to get one or two, so we’re trying to get three a game.”
Polk had a couple of good looks at goal in the opening 20 minutes and finally broke through in the 29th minute. Tallis Metcalf’s corner found Cooper Meyer, who flicked a header into the upper right corner for a 1–0 lead.
It looked to set to stay that way until the 39th minute. Nunez hammered a perfect corner kick, the low line drive finding an open space just in front of a charging Briones, who hammered the pass into the back of the net. That sent the teams into the half deadlocked at 1-1.
“It was nice to get that first goal. I really wanted to take that into halftime,” Alley said. “That one stung.
“We were trying to get to (Nunez), to make him pass, to get the ball off his foot. He’s just a unique player, very good. I thought we did a good job, though we were fouling him too much. We stopped fouling him and really kept the ball off his foot.”
Polk senior Sebastian Azar missed most of the first half after being injured in the second minute. Azar returned to the pitch to open the second half and immediately made his presence felt, drawing a foul from Warrior goalkeeper Jack Copeland while charging forward for a long Meyer pass.
Meyer took the penalty and sent a low roller just inside the left post, putting Polk up 2-1.
It took 20 more minutes, but the Wolverines finally extended their lead. Metcalf’s corner kick missed Meyer on this occasion, but bounced to Blake Anderson in the corner. He chipped the ball back in front of goal, where Thomas Varnadore headed it home to pad the Wolverines’ advantage.
“I thought we possessed the ball well early, we looked pretty good, and then Seb goes down,” said Alley, who had two players sidelined by injuries and senior Erik Pena returning from one. “I was like, what did I do to the universe?
“Cooper buried the PK. He was a monster today. Grayson (Meyer) was also a monster. Played great all day.”
On a night made for frostbite and fortitude, that’s exactly what Polk County needed.
