Five things to know as Polk County travels to Mountain Heritage in week seven of the 2025 football season.
Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on NFHS Network.
Last week: Mountain Heritage defeated Madison 52-20; Polk County lost 39-7 to Mitchell.
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DO-EVERYTHING JONES: Mountain Heritage senior Cason Jones is the definition of a multi-purpose threat.
The 6-3, 195-pound Jones has rushed for 368 yards and three touchdowns on 41 carries while catching eight passes for 130 yards and four scores. He’s also one of the Cougars’ leading tacklers on defense with 38 stops, including six tackles for loss.
Jones has been equally dangerous in the return game, averaging 37.3 yards on four kickoff returns and 13.5 yards on four punt returns.
His excellence has earned him recognition as a Shrine Bowl selection, the only player from Western North Carolina to earn that honor. Jones has verbally committed to Elon.
GROUND AND POUND: Mountain Heritage has built its 4-1 record behind a powerful rushing attack that features three 100-yard rushers.
Senior Ervine Rodriguez leads the way with 485 yards and seven touchdowns on 79 carries, including three 100-yard games. Jones has added his 368 yards, while Carter Bennett has chipped in 234 yards on 28 attempts.
Quarterback Brayden Deyton has also been a threat on the ground with 172 yards and three scores on 28 carries. Stopping that four-headed attack will be a major challenge for a Polk County defense that has allowed 30 or more points in four of its six games.
NEW ERA: Mountain Heritage enters the game under first-year head coach Jered Pope, who replaced longtime head coach Joey Robinson.
Pope, a longtime assistant under Robinson, has guided the Cougars to an impressive start that includes their first Western Highlands Conference win. Mountain Heritage’s only loss came by two points to Swain County, a 16-14 defeat that broke a three-game winning streak.
The Cougars have been especially dominant in three of their four wins, topping 48 points against Pisgah, Robbinsville and Madison.
HOMECOMING TOUR: Friday’s game marks the third consecutive Homecoming celebration that Polk County has been part of this season.
The Wolverines celebrated their own Homecoming two weeks ago in a 17-14 loss to Owen, then served as the opponent for Mitchell’s Homecoming last week. Now they’ll face Mountain Heritage’s festivities.
Polk County will hope the third time is the charm after dropping both previous Homecoming contests.
HISTORY LESSON: The two schools haven’t met since November 2019, and Polk County will be looking to snap a lengthy losing streak in the series.
Mountain Heritage has won five straight meetings, with Polk County’s last victory coming in 2014, a 34-6 triumph. That was the 300th game in the history of the Wolverine program, and Polk celebrated by forcing four turnovers and taking a 21-0 lead in the first quarter en route to the win.
