Five things to know as the 2025 regular season kicks off Friday with Chase visiting Polk County in a non-conference matchup.
Last season: Chase finished 2-8, with Polk County posting a 1-8 record.
NO REPEAT OF FRASHIER: Polk County will be glad not to see Zac Frashier step onto the field Friday.
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In Chase’s 27-26 win last season, Frashier carried the ball a remarkable 50 times, the seventh-highest total in state history, gaining 273 yards. His touchdown with 34 seconds remaining proved the game-winner, capping one of the more amazing high school football game performances anyone will ever see.
Frashier went on to be named Mountain Foothills 7 Conference Player of the Year, graduated and has joined the Gardner-Webb football program.
AIRING IT OUT: Chase junior quarterback Darin Tipton is expected to be this year’s starter, but he’s not the only new face on the Trojans’ sideline.
Veteran coach Jim Sosebee was named in February as the new head coach at Chase, replacing Chris Cogdill. Sosebee has a career record of 107-55, and his career includes six seasons at Hendersonville, where he posted a 49-24 record. Visiting Polk County will be nothing new.
Chase rarely threw the ball last season; Sosebee’s offenses typically toss it up early and often. It will be interesting to see how the Trojans have remade themselves with Sosebee at the helm.
Three juniors – Trajan Littlejohn, Brycen McSwain and Kaiden Boyce – are expected to see touches in the Chase offense.
LEVELING UP: Polk County will have an opportunity Friday to bring true parity to the series with one of its closest rivals.
Chase currently owns a 9-8 edge in the series, including four straight victories. The Wolverines’ last win came in 2018, a 31-28 triumph in Forest City.
That also marked the last time the teams met in a season opener.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Polk County may well have one of the youngest football rosters in the area, if not the state.
The Wolverines count 31 players on their roster – 20 of those are freshmen or sophomores. Freshman RJ Simpson is expected to start in the Polk secondary, and every other newcomer will likely see action at some point on special teams or elsewhere.
In an odd stat, Polk County counts just four juniors on its squad. Senior Night 2026 may be a short one.
WEATHER WONDER: A weather station located a mile or two from G.M. Tennant Stadium has measured almost 10 inches of rain thus far this month.
The unusual August weather has left W.J. Miller Field in a soggy state, and school officials are hoping that Friday will be rain-free, allowing the field to dry a bit after getting another soaking on Thursday afternoon.
There is a slight chance of rain throughout the day on Friday, though accumulation is expected to be light unless a passing thunderstorm strikes. That’s what all will be hoping to avoid as the 2025 season swings into action.
