Five things to know as Polk County journeys Friday to Morganton to face Patton in a 7:30 p.m. non-conference kickoff.
Last week: Polk County dropped a 35-19 decision to Blue Ridge (S.C.); Patton fell 22-7 to Owen.
THEY’RE BACK: Patton decided prior to last season to not field a varsity football team. That left a hole in Polk County’s schedule as the Panthers and Wolverines were each part of the Mountain Foothills 7 Conference.
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Patton did field a JV squad and posted a 5-3 record that included blowout wins over Owen, Chase and Hendersonville. Last year’s success, though, has not translated into victories thus far this season as the Panthers are off to an 0-2 start.
Opening with a 46-6 loss to Freedom, the Panthers were much more competitive last week, falling 22-7 to Owen. That loss included three Patton fumbles, giveeaways that definitely didn’t help Patton’s victory chances.
Patton’s last win as a varsity program came on Sept. 29, 2022, a 38-27 victory over East Rutherford.
JET ON THE RISE: The focal point of Patton’s offense thus far this season has been sophomore running back Jet Chatman.
Chatman has both of Patton’s touchdowns and has rushed for 179 yards on 30 carries. That comes after a freshman JV season in which he rushed 136 times for 1,351 yards and 19 touchdowns. How he fares this week will do much to determine whether the Panthers can land a much sought-after win.
IF BY AIR: Patton has not looked to throw much this season, attempting just 17 passes in the first two weeks. But the Panther passing game can’t be ignored.
Sophomore quarterback River McCray hit fellow sophomore Landry Duvall for a 37-yard gain early in last week’s loss, helping set up Chatman’s rushing score. If McCrary can find some success throwing the ball this week, that could open some running room for Chatman.
LOOKING AT LOSAN: Patton has allowed 386 yards on 56 rushing attempts in its first two games. Seeing an opponent allow seven yards per carry undoubtedly grabbed the attention of Polk senior back Loreynzo Sanchez.
Sanchez is off to an incredible start on the ground, rushing for 642 yards in the Wolverines’ first three games. That total ranks third in the state, per MaxPreps, and 34th in the nation. In his 293-yard effort last week against Blue Ridge, Sanchez racked up 185 yards of those yards in the second half, proving his durability and dependability.
Look for Polk County head coach Dustin Fry to try to get Sanchez untracked early this week.
HISTORY LESSON: Past efforts probably don’t mean much for high school teams that haven’t met in two seasons.
Polk County, though, owns a 3-0 lead in the series, and those three games fell overwhelmingly in favor of the Wolverines: 41-8, 41-20 and 57-12.
That last meeting, a 2023 encounter at Patton, featured a 107-yard rushing effort for Sanchez, then a sophomore. The star of the night, though, was quarterback Lawson Carter, who finished 15-of-18 for 283 yards and five touchdowns. One of those went to Nolan Simpson, who will suit up Friday.
