Five things to know as Polk County travels to Newton-Conover on Friday for its second straight road game to open the 2026 season.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Both teams enter the matchup at 0-1.
Last week: Polk County dropped a 45-24 decision at Chase in a game that began Thursday and, due to lightning, didn’t finish until Saturday. Newton-Conover fell 49-28 at home to Alexander Central despite building a 21-7 lead. Alexander Central scored the next 21 points to take a 28-21 halftime lead and continued to pull away in the second half.
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Pope on the run: Polk County faced a Chase offense last week that did most of its damage through the air. Friday’s challenge could look much different.
Newton-Conover junior running back Jeremiah Pope opened the season by rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against Alexander Central.
That’s no opening-night surprise. Pope rushed 144 times for 1,168 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, establishing himself as the centerpiece of the Red Devils’ ground game.
Pope will also be running behind a Newton-Conover roster with plenty of size up front. Four Red Devil linemen are listed at 260 pounds or heavier, topped by 6-foot-3, 290-pound junior Amari Smith.
Polk County held Chase to just 44 net rushing yards, but the Trojans instead threw for 379 yards. Slowing Pope will give the Wolverine defense a very different test this week.
First start, first lessons: At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, junior Weston Norris gives Newton-Conover good size at quarterback, and he had some productive moments in his first varsity start.
Norris completed 7-of-15 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns against Alexander Central. He also threw two interceptions.
Senior Naiym Robinson and junior Amari Coulter are among his top targets in a Red Devil receiving corps with plenty of options.
With Pope commanding attention in the backfield, one question for Polk County will be whether it can limit the running game while also putting Norris in situations where the first-year starter has to make plays through the air.
Finish the drive: Polk County’s first two possessions at Chase offered both encouragement and frustration.
The Wolverines drove inside the Chase 20 on each possession. They came away with no points either time.
Polk methodically moved from the Chase 49 to the 19 on its first possession before consecutive losses and a fumble ended the drive. Styler Blackwell then ripped off consecutive runs of 22 and 23 yards on the next possession as Polk again reached the red zone, but a loss on third down and an incomplete fourth-down pass stopped that opportunity.
There was much to like about an offense that consistently moved the football against Chase. Polk finished with 324 yards of offense and scored three touchdowns through the air.
Turning more of those productive drives into points will be the next step.
A running answer: One of Polk County’s biggest preseason questions didn’t take long to get at least a preliminary answer.
With the graduation of Loreynzo Sanchez, no returning Wolverine entered the season having rushed for more than 16 yards in 2025.
Blackwell needed one afternoon to change the outlook.
The senior carried 15 times for 120 yards at Chase, repeatedly creating big plays and giving Polk a productive ground threat. Dre Thompson added 28 yards on five carries.
Quarterback Brody Wilkins also completed 12-of-24 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Thompson caught a 64-yard touchdown pass, Sawyer Huff had five receptions for 50 yards and a score and RJ Simpson added a touchdown reception.
A short series, a recent reminder: Friday will mark just the fourth meeting between Polk County and Newton-Conover, with the entire series taking place since 2021.
Polk County won the first two meetings in 2021 and 2022 before Newton-Conover responded emphatically last season, rolling to a 49-14 victory.
The Red Devils built a 35-0 halftime lead in that game. Pope rushed for 76 yards on eight carries, while Robinson provided one of the game’s biggest plays with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
