GREER – Polk County had an unfortunate case of the what-ifs Friday.
Three plays. Three momentum-changing plays. Change the outcome of those and perhaps Polk County’s ride home from Blue Ridge would have been a celebratory one. Instead, the Wolverines had much to think about in the wake of a 35-19 loss to the Tigers in a non-conference clash at Jim Howard Stadium.
Make no mistake, a lot of good things happened Friday for Polk County (1-2), including another massive night for running back Loreynzo Sanchez. The senior proved largely unstoppable most of the night, carrying 30 times for a career-high 293 yards and two touchdowns. One of those came on a 60-yard scamper that left a Blue Ridge defender pounding the turf after he had Sanchez cornered at the 20 until he didn’t, Sanchez stopping on a proverbial dime and shifting direction before sprinting to the end zone.
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That score cut the Blue Ridge lead to 21-13 midway through the third period. Polk County then stopped the Tigers’ next drive at the Wolverine 38 and seemed set to regain possession, only to see the ensuing Blue Ridge punt glance off a Wolverine blocker, setting off a scramble that ended with the Tigers owning the ball at the Polk 2.
Gavin Forrester scored on the next play, giving Blue Ridge (2-0) a 28-13 advantage with 2:21 left in the third period.
That punt offered the second of the night’s key moments. The final one came on Polk’s next drive as Hudson Poirier intercepted a Wolverine pass near midfield and returned it to the Polk 18. Forrester tossed a touchdown strike to Mitch Bobbitt on the next play, putting Blue Ridge up 35-13 with 8:54 remaining and effectively ending any Wolverine hopes of a rally.
The first key moment? That one came just before the end of the first half, and it also arrived during a punt.
Trailing 14-7, Polk lined up to punt in the final minute of the half after a drive stalled near midfield. Blake Anderson’s kick took one bounce before Bobbitt fielded it, quickly got to the sideline and scooted almost untouched to the end zone, scoring with just 33 seconds remaining in the half. That sent Blue Ridge into its dressing room up 14 rather than with the seven-point lead the Wolverines anticipated.
Blue Ridge got its first touchdown early in the second quarter as Forrester raced 60 yards on a 2nd-and-20. Polk immediately answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive, chewing up almost six minutes before Brody Wilkins lofted a 21-yard touchdown pass to Keyan Simpson.
Back came Blue Ridge, the Tigers finding success running on their left side before Forrester found Marquiel Troupe down that same sideline with a 39-yard touchdown toss. Bobbitt’s extra point made it 14-7 with 3:54 left in the half.
Polk’s third-quarter touchdown came after the Wolverine defense stopped Blue Ridge on a 4th-and-2 at the Polk 9. That led to a six-play, 89-yard drive capped by the Sanchez 60-yard scoring jaunt.
The Wolverines added their final score in the fourth quarter on a 14-play, 62-yard possession, ending that with a Sanchez 1-yard plunge with 1:57 remaining.
By then, the outcome was settled, leaving the Wolverines with those what-ifs for the trip home.
Polk County will return to the road next week, wrapping up non-conference play at Patton in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.
BLUE RIDGE 35, POLK COUNTY 19
PC 0 – 7 – 6 – 6 — 19
BR 0 – 21 – 7 – 7 — 35
SECOND QUARTER
BR – Gavin Forrester 60 run (Mitch Bobbitt kick), 11:10
PC – Keyan Simpson 21 pass from Brody Wilkins (Blake Anderson kick), 5:17
BR – Marquiel Troupe 39 pass from Forrester (Bobbitt kick), 3:54
BR – Bobbitt 83 punt return (Bobbitt kick), 0:33
THIRD QUARTER
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 60 run (pass failed), 6:22
BR – Forrester 2 run (Bobbitt kick), 2:21
FOURTH QUARTER
BR – Bobbitt 18 pass from Forrester (Bobbitt kick), 8:54
PC – Sanchez 1 run (run failed), 1:57
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 30-293, Styler Blackwell 3-7, Mykah Hills 3-4, Brody Wilkins 7-(-15), Team 1-(-5). BR – Gavin Forrester 10-120, Jakorey Dodd 11-63, Avery Wyatt 4-26, Brylon McCoy 1-(-1), Team 1-(-5).
Passing
PC – Brody Wilkins 8-17-74-1. BR – Gavin Forrester 8-14-112-0.
Receiving
PC – Nolan Simpson 4-30, Styler Blackwell 2-22, Keyan Simpson 1-21, Loreynzo Sanchez 1-1. BR – Jakorey Dodd 1-50, Marquiel Troupe 2-38, Mitch Bobbitt 3-22, Tyson Hicks 2-2.
