Dustin Fry has had no trouble this week finding a message to motivate Polk County’s football team.
A three-game losing streak has dampened the mood around the Wolverine locker room. But as Polk County prepares to trek to Madison for Friday’s Western Highlands Conference clash, the Wolverines have one of the best reasons to journey to Marshall and return with a victory.
A very good shot at a home playoff game.
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With at least two wins in their final three games, Polk County would likely be positioned to open the state 3A playoffs in G.M. Tennant Stadium. That would be the first Wolverine home appearance in the postseason since a 2019 victory over East Wilkes.
“We’re not where we want to be right now,” Fry said. “But let’s get this win, recover next week and then try to enjoy our last two home games of the regular season and then see where it goes.
“We’ve just got to stay focused and stay with it each day.”
The trip to Madison not only concludes a series of three straight away dates, but will also lead to Polk County’s first open week since preseason camp began in late July. Without a doubt the effects of that grind are being felt throughout the Wolverine roster, especially as the team has worked through injuries and illness in practice this week.
“This is the latest bye week we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Fry said. “By the time we go on the bye, we’re pretty much at 12 straight weeks. You do anything for that long, it gets monotonous.
“It’s hard to keep the focus, so you try to do some fun things in practice. But it’s still one of those things with it’s two hours and we’ve got to get our work in.”
Buoying spirits a bit this week has been Polk County’s offensive play in last week’s 51-8 loss at Mountain Heritage. The Wolverines were able to move the ball, especially via the passing game, as quarterback Brody Wilkins had his best effort since the opening two weeks of the season.
Wilkins’ targets included senior Nolan Simpson, back from an injury, and Acer Eadus, who snared his first two receptions of the season for 49 yards.
“It was nice to have a little passing game resurgence,” Fry said. “We knew going in that we couldn’t just line up and run at those guys, so it was nice to be able to throw the ball a little bit.”
As is often the case in the Western Highlands Conference, Polk County will again square off against a run-focused offense. Madison (3-4, 1-2) has run the ball more than 75 percent of its snaps this season, its offense paced by senior Ivan Blankenship (108-868-4). Blankenship has posted five 100-yard games in a season where the Patriots have surged under first-year head coach Ronald Tipton.
“I think their quarterback (Caleb Griffin) gor hurt earlier this year,” Fry said. “They’re run-heavy, but they hit a deep ball against Mountain Heritage, so they do have the ability to throw it.
“We’ve just got to grind it out this week. Hopefully we can get this win, get to three wins and get some rest.”
