Five things to know: Polk County at Walkertown

Five things to know as Polk County travels to Walkertown on Friday for the second round of the NCHSAA 3A state football playoffs.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The fourth-seeded Wolfpack enter at 9-1 after receiving a first-round bye, while Polk County advanced with a 28-22 victory at Owen.

Friday will mark the first meeting between the programs.

28 is the number: There has been a remarkably clean dividing line in Polk County’s season.

The Wolverines are 4-0 when scoring at least 28 points and 0-7 when scoring 27 or fewer.

Polk has reached 42 points in three of its four victories, with last week’s 28-22 win at Owen marking the lowest-scoring win of the season.

That makes the number especially relevant against a Walkertown defense that has been one of the Wolfpack’s biggest strengths.

Walkertown has recorded four shutouts and allowed just 102 points in 10 games. Since a 43-6 loss to West Rowan, the Wolfpack have won seven straight while outscoring opponents 261-45.

Polk’s offense has shown it can produce against good competition. Friday’s task is finding enough points against a defense that hasn’t surrendered many lately.

A whole lot of Conrad: It doesn’t take long to identify the centerpiece of Walkertown’s offense.

Senior Nasir Conrad has rushed 164 times for 1,688 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging better than 10 yards per carry.

He also leads the Wolfpack in all-purpose production at 231.9 yards per game and is tied for the team lead with 22 receptions, adding 218 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

Walkertown isn’t entirely dependent upon Conrad. EJ Archie has rushed for 355 yards and nine touchdowns, while senior quarterback Kai Tart has completed 88-of-131 passes for 1,048 yards and nine scores.

But Conrad is clearly the player around whom everything revolves.

For a Polk defense that just faced Owen’s multi-player rushing attack, the challenge this week is different – finding a way to limit one of the most productive backs the Wolverines have seen all season.

Simpson’s role keeps growing: RJ Simpson has become increasingly difficult to keep out of the action.

A week after intercepting a pass and returning it 35 yards at Hendersonville, Simpson delivered several of the biggest plays in Polk County’s playoff victory at Owen.

He scored on a 68-yard run on the Wolverines’ first offensive snap, later caught a 66-yard touchdown pass and recovered an Owen fumble inside the 5-yard line.

Simpson finished with 161 yards on just four offensive touches.

That’s the type of explosive production Polk may need against Walkertown. Styler Blackwell remains the foundation of the Wolverine offense, but Simpson’s ability to affect a game as a runner, receiver and defender gives Walkertown another threat that has to be accounted for on every snap.

Pressure packed: Moving the football against Walkertown also means dealing with a defense that spends a lot of time in opposing backfields.

Senior Armahd Barber has 28 tackles for loss and 17 sacks among his 61 tackles, numbers that immediately stand out on the Wolfpack defensive stat sheet.

Senior Tyler Jones leads Walkertown with 119 tackles and has 15 stops for loss.

That kind of disruption can quickly wreck a possession, especially in a playoff game where negative plays and third-and-long situations become magnified.

Walkertown’s ability to create pressure has helped the Wolfpack win seven straight games and capture the first conference championship in program history.

The title run included a 20-18 victory over Reidsville that snapped the Rams’ 75-game conference winning streak – perhaps the clearest evidence that this Walkertown team is comfortable in high-pressure situations.

Two will do: Touchdowns haven’t necessarily meant seven points for Walkertown this season.

The Wolfpack have successfully converted 26 2-point attempts, with Archie accounting for 10 of those conversions.

That’s not an occasional gadget. It’s clearly part of how Walkertown approaches scoring.

The strategy can change the feel of the scoreboard quickly. Two touchdowns can become 16 points instead of 14, and what looks like a one-score margin can become a two-possession game.

Polk County saw firsthand at Owen how hidden possessions and small moments can shape a playoff game.

Friday, the Wolverines will also have to be prepared for some different arithmetic after Walkertown reaches the end zone.