Frashier’s last-second score lifts Chase past Polk County

Chase quarterback Zac Frashier scored his third touchdown Friday with 34 seconds remaining, lifting the Trojans to a 27-26 victory over Polk County in a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference matchup at Allen Field.

Frashier’s touchdown capped a remarkable evening in which the senior recorded 50 rushing attempts, gaining 273 yards. Those attempts match the seventh most in state history in a single game per the North Carolina High School Athletic Association record book.

Polk County (1-5, 0-2) saw its hopes for gaining its first win since the season opener at Madison slip away as the Trojans (1-6, 1-2) drove 77 yards for the game-winning score. But the Wolverines will no doubt rue failing to convert a pair of fourth-down plays in the second half, helping keep Chase’s victory hopes alive.

The first of those came midway through the third period, the Wolverines leading 20-14 at the time, after Sawyer Huff blocked a Chase punt, giving Polk County possession at the 28. Donte Tingling raced inside the 5 on Polk’s first play, but a holding penalty pushed the ball back to the 26, and the Wolverines failed to convert a 4th-and-4 at the 22.

Polk forced another Chase punt and took possession at its 45. The Wolverines moved to the 34, where they faced 4th-and-2. Styler Blackwell was stopped inches short on the fourth-down try, giving the Trojans the ball with 1:09 left in the third period.

Two big plays followed that stop to return the lead and momentum to Chase. Frashier faked a punt and converted a 4th-and-8, gaining 15 yards, before tossing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Devin Mosley. Kleber Fabian added the point after to put the Trojans up 21-20 with 8:55 remaining.

Polk County immediately responded. Blackwell snared a pass from Gunnar Alm and carried two would-be tacklers for a 30-yard gain to the Chase 30. Tingling handled things from there, needing just two plays to reach the end zone and give Polk a 26-21 lead, the Wolverines’ 2-point conversion attempt failing.

Polk stopped a Chase 4th-and-1 try near midfield, but the Wolverines were unable to gain a first down on their possession and had to punt, leading to Chase’s game-winning drive.

The Wolverines struck first, scoring on a Blackwell 2-yard run late in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead. Chase answered with a 13-play, 75 yards drive, with Frashier carrying on 11 of those plays, including a 1-yard plunge that evened the score at 6-6 with 6:29 left in the first half.

Polk needed just one play to answer. Aaron Dickey’s kickoff return gave the Wolverines the ball at the Trojan 46, where Alm fired a first-down strike over the middle to Karson Scruggs, who outleaped a defender for the pass and then outraced two others the end zone. Scroggs then flipped a pass to Tingling for the 2-point conversion, putting Polk up 14-6 with 6:08 to go in the half.

Chase answered with an 11-play, 92-yard drive, with Frashier ending it with a 2-yard touchdown run. He then added the 2-point conversion to make it 14-14 wit 1:06 left in the half.

Again Polk answered, needing two plays to retake the lead. The second of those saw Alm loft a perfect strike down the left sideline to Loreynzo Sanchez, who had slipped behind a defender. Sanchez raced to the end zone to complete the 57-yard scoring play, putting Polk up 20-14 just before the half.

Tingling finished with 102 yards on seven carries for Polk, with Alm completing 10-of-18 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

Polk County returns home next week, celebrating Homecoming while hosting East Rutherford for a 7:30 p.m. battle.

Polk County 6 14 0 6 — 26
Chase 6 8 0 13 — 27

FIRST QUARTER
PC – Styler Blackwell 2 run (kick failed), 1:10

SECOND QUARTER
C – Zac Frashier 1 run (run failed), 6:29
PC – Karson Scruggs 46 pass from Gunnar Alm (Donte Tingling pass from Scruggs), 6:08
C – Frashier 2 run (Frashier run), 1:06
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 57 pass from Alm (kick failed), :34

FOURTH QUARTER
C – Devin Mosley 45 pass from Frashier (Kleber Fabian kick), 8:55
PC – Tingling 23 run (run failed), 7:24
C – Frashier 4 run (pass failed), :34

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
PC – Donte Tingling 7-102, Gunnar Alm 2-3, Loreynzo Sanchez 10-1. C- Zac Frashier 50-273, Devin Mosley 7-33, Noah Ledford 1-5

PASSING
PC – Gunnar Alm 10-18-1-177. C – Zac Frashier 8-11-0-91.

RECEIVING
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 5-76, Karson Scruggs 4-71, Styler Blackwell 1-30. C – Devin Mosley 5-63, Landon Barnes 1-18, Neal Hines 1-14, Noah Ledford 1-(-4).