Tanner Osborn spoiled his father’s weekend plans.
As his dad wrapped him up in a bear hug Tuesday night on Miller Field, the Polk County midfielder broke into a wide grin.
“I guess you won’t be hunting on Saturday,” he said.
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That was just fine with the elder Osborn. And while some deer in Polk County might be a little bit safer for a little while, Osborn and his teammates will be headed to Greensboro to hunt a state title.
Osborn banged home a pass from Thomas Varnadore with just 10 seconds left in the first half of the 3A West Regional final on Tuesday, and Polk County made it stand up, defeating No. 3 seed Pine Lake Prep 1-0, staying undefeated on the season and punching their ticket to play Saturday at 2:30 p/m/ at Guilford College. The Wolverines will take on Wallace-Rose Hill, who beat N.C. School of Science and Math-Durham in penalty kicks in the East Regional final.
“Their coach said they didn’t have an answer for Tanner,” Polk County coach George Alley said. “Tanner was everywhere.”
He was certainly in the right place when it mattered. Osborn’s goal capped a frantic few seconds that finally paid off for the Wolverines (18-0-3) late in the first half. Pine Lake had used its speed and strength at the back of the formation to frustrate the speedy Wolverines. Polk County missed an excellent chance at the 25-minute mark, and had a couple of other shots just miss the mark.
Finally, though, a chance came through with 20 seconds to play before the break. Cooper Meyer corralled the ball and raced down the right side, playing a deep cross to Varnadore. He gathered it in, took his time and fired a cross to Osborne, who calmly tucked it away.
“Their midfield was playing very high, and there were some huge gaps,” Alley said. “We were trying to get the ball to Thomas, and he just made a great play to get that ball back across.”
Osborn said he just tried to put himself in a good position.
“I saw Cooper’s cross go a little high and a little far, and I thought it was going out,” he said. “When Thomas saved it, I just saw a chance and took it. He always makes something happen. I just tried to stay calm and composed and put it on frame.”
The lead stood up largely thanks to stellar play in goal from Charlie Wagoner. He made five second-half saves that turned away solid chances for the Pride (17-4-1), the last with 2:35 to play that seemed to seal the win. Pine Lake excels at set plays, and Wagoner was up to the task of defending them.
“He’s just rock solid,” Alley said. “We knew they were good at set plays and he’d have to be strong in the air, and he didn’t drop a single ball tonight. He was spot on, and all his decisions were solid.”
Wagoner said film and knowledge of what the Pride could do from their sets influenced his preparation.
“We watched their last game and saw that three of their goals came on balls in the air,” he said. “On Monday, all I did was work on getting balls out of the air. I think my height helped me a lot, keeping the same form every time, just practice, practice, practice. I knew I had to be a little more aggressive because of their play style, and after I made the first few catches it made me more confident and led to me coming out more and more.”
Those set plays were what worried his coach, particularly as the second half ticked down.
“They weren’t really that big a threat in the run of play to score,” Alley said. “But they’ve got 12 corner-kick plays and a bunch of other plays and they just grind you down. We prepared for it, and had a pretty good rhythm there in the second half, but then you get to that point where it’s 15 minutes out, and you just hold on.”
Hold on they did. And now they’ve got a chance that Polk County hasn’t had in 19 years. The Wolverines last played for a state championship in 2006 after winning titles in 2001 and 2003.
“It feels amazing,” Wagoner said. “It’s what we’ve been working for three years, ever since Alley got here. We knew this was the year, and now we’re just proving it.”
Osborn, who got them there with his goal, said he’s thrilled to have the chance.
“After all these years of playing with each other it’s just great to finally come out on top,” he said.
Alley said he’s happiest that his players get to experience the chance to play for a state title.
“It feels really good,” Alley said. “I’m just so happy for these guys. The whole pomp and circumstance of going to state is a big deal for these guys, and we’ve been working for that for three years. For them to finally achieve that is just sweet.”
