GREENSBORO – Polk County never got its breakthrough.
Throughout their magical unbeaten run to Saturday’s state 3A championship match, the Wolverines often cracked defenses with their speed, stretching opponents to produce gaps and goals. If that failed, which it rarely did, Polk could rely on its passing prowess, tactically pushing forward with precision to produce scoring chances.
Wallace-Rose Hill allowed none of that Saturday. The Bulldog defense kept the Wolverines in check long enough for its offense to instead strike, with two second-half goals giving Wallace-Rose Hill a 2-0 triumph at Guilford College’s Appenzeller Field and the fourth state championship in school history.
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The result left a bitter taste in what had been the sweetest of seasons for Polk County (18-1-3). Barely had the Wolverines walked off the Guilford turf, though, when the enormity of what they accomplished this fall began to outweigh the disappointment of not gaining the school’s first state soccer crown since 2003.
“Coming into this season, I know we had a lot of seniors. I know we had a bunch of players that had played club together,” said Polk County senior and captain Thomas Varnadore. “But, really, I didn’t know that we’d make it this far.”
“It’s honestly incredible,” said fellow senior and captain Will Garrison. “Since eighth grade, we’ve been saying we’re going to go to state, but I never really though we’d actually be able to do it. This year, that came true.”
There wasn’t much separating the two teams save perhaps for Wallace-Rose Hill senior Felix Funez, who kept Polk County’s defense under pressure all afternoon. Funez, named the Most Valuable Player of the match, took nine of the Bulldogs’ 17 shots – Polk County had eight – and had a hand in both goals.
Yet Funez wasn’t the story of the day as much as Wallace-Rose Hill’s back line, which stymied the Wolverines at every turn as they pressed for a score. Polk finished the day with just two shots on target and not for a lack of trying.
“They sat back and they didn’t push their backs at all. They kind of said, we’ll allow you to possess in the midfield, work it back and forth,” said Polk County head coach George Alley. “So we controlled the midfield, especially in the second half.
“I thought we did a nice job switching it and getting there. But that last little one-two through the box, we just couldn’t get it.”
Wallace-Rose Hill had a pair of quality scoring chances in the first half, with Funez striking the left post from close range and Wilmer Flores banging the crossbar also from deep in the box. The sequence on which the Bulldogs finally scored in the 58th minute was less quality, but more opportunistic and perfect in its finish.
Having turned aside a Polk surge, Wallace-Rose Hill’s Steven Acosta gained possession at midfield and lofted a long pass forward toward Funez. The pass cleared everyone, heading toward the top of the penalty area and forcing Polk goalkeeper Charlie Wagoner to push out toward Funez and the free ball.
Polk’s back line beat Funez to the ball and tipped it away, but to Wallace-Rose Hill’s Iker Alvarado, trailing the play. Alvarado hit an ideal drive from more than 30 yards out, clearing Wagoner before nestling in net for a 1-0 advantage.
The Wolverines upped their offensive pressure and eventually produced perhaps their best scoring chance in the final 10 minutes. A Garrison free kick with 7:08 remaining found Varnadore in the box, and the senior produced a shot with pace. Bulldog goalkeeper Angel Sevilla deflected away the effort, the Bulldogs cleared the ball and then kept Polk at bay for the final few minutes.
“We got our chance right there at the end, and we stick one home there, you don’t know what happens,” Alley said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and I thought they did well. We had them on their heels there for a little while. But, again, we just couldn’t break through that final part.”
With the Wolverines desparately pushing forward in the final minute, Funez collected a long clearance and scored on the breakaway with 40 seconds remaining, an insurance goal that merely allowed the Bulldogs to begin celebrating early.
Tears soon flowed from Polk County’s side, but those began to dry with the realization of everything accomplished from the heat of August until an unexpectedly warm November afternoon.
“It’s really about the memories we made, and it’s not about the outcome, really,” Varnadore said. “I’m with my brothers, and we had a great season.”
