MORGANTON – Polk County’s inward focus the past week proved Friday to be time well-spent.
For much of the night at Patton, the Wolverines were the only ones capable of stopping themselves.
Polk produced a dominant first two quarters, rolling to a 35-0 halftime lead before tapping the brakes a bit in finishing with a 35-14 victory over Patton in the Wolverines’ final non-conference matchup.
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Polk senior running back Loreyzno Sanchez again delivered eye-catching numbers, carrying the ball a remarkable 39 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns. Sanchez had a fifth rushing touchdown, which would have matched Jamal Tanner’s school record, called back due to a penalty. That didn’t deter from his standout evening.
Yet Sanchez wasn’t the story as much as the Polk defense, which produced four turnovers in the second quarter and held the Panthers (0-3) to 55 total yards in the opening half. Two plays produced 48 of those yards.
“That’s really what this whole week was about, just making it about us and playing our game,” said Polk County head coach Dustin Fry. “Playing what we’re trying to build, which is a tough defense and a really good offense.
“I’m very happy with how they came out. I’m happy for these guys to get back on a winning streak, to get to 2-2. That is exactly what we wanted to do this week, come in and handle our business and get ready for conference.”
Methodically grinding the ball, largely running between the tackles, Polk County (2-2) held a 7-0 lead at the end of the first. Sanchez made it 14-0 early in the second quarter with a 14-yard scoring scamper, and then the Wolverine defense took charge.
In a span of six plays, Polk induced two fumbles and two interceptions. Zach McCraw and Dre Thompson recovered the bobbles. Mykah Hills and Nolan Simpson produced the interceptions. The takeaways led to Polk scoring drives of 22, 24 and 15 yards as the teams played in the same area of the field for much of the period.
“We’ve been wanting (turnovers) all week, and it was nice to see things we worked on in practice pay off in the game,” Fry said. “That pick by Nolan, we worked on the play all week in practice, and finally that showed up.”
The 35-point halftime lead triggered a running clock in the second half, limiting the possessions for each team. Patton finally got on the board on Jet Chatman’s 67-yard touchdown sprint early in the fourth quarter, and then he nearly repeated that on a 59-yard scoring run that provided the game’s final play. Patton had just 69 yards of total offense prior to those two carries.
Sanchez ripped off a 20-yard run on the game’s first play, then carried the next seven snaps in moving the Wolverines to the Patton 36, where Polk faced a 3rd-and-14. Quarterback Brody Wilkins found Styler Blackwell open across the middle, and Blackwell took the reception and toted it to the 1, from which Sanchez scored on the next play.
The frantic second quarter followed as Polk built its huge halftime edge. Chatman’s late scoring runs were the only negatives of the evening as the Wolverines enjoyed their final tuneup for their return to Western Highlands Conference play.
“We talked at halftime about not getting sloppy, and we got a little sloppy in the fourth quarter,” Fry said. “It was a good three quarters of ball. I just hate that they stuck 14 in there at the end.
“But I’m just happy with the way they played, and I’m happy that they get to enjoy this victory.”
POLK COUNTY 35, PATTON 14
PC – 7 28 0 0 — 35
P – 0 0 0 14 — 14
FIRST QUARTER
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 1 run (Blake Anderson kick), 6:47
SECOND QUARTER
PC – Sanchez 14 run (Anderson kick), 9:25
PC – Sanchez 17 run (Anderson kick), 8:27
PC – Sanchez 24 run (Anderson kick), 7:21
PC – Nolan Simpson 2 pass from Brody Wilkins (Anderson kick), :26
FOURTH QUARTER
P – Jet Chatman 67 run (Colsyn Queen kick), 11:00
P – Chatman 59 run (Queen kick), :20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 39-256, Brody Wilkins 3-7, Mykah Hills 2-(-3). P – Jet Chatman 5-130, Lane Charlet 4-37, River McCrary 5-1.
Passing
PC – Brody Wilkins 2-3-0-37. P – River McCrary 5-9-1-27, Gunner King 0-1-1-0.
Receiving
PC – Styler Blackwell 1-35, Nolan Simpson 1-2. P – Lane Charlet 3-22, Landry Duvall 1-7, Jet Chatman 1-(-2).
