The pregame atmosphere on Polk County’s sideline Friday felt charged, that same electrical sense in the air that often precedes a violent thunderstorm.
The Wolverines arrived on W.J. Miller Field focused on unleashing four weeks of frustration. They did so in a torrent of points and yards led by the whirling dervish that has been their heartbeat all season.
Polk County senior Loreynzo Sanchez marked Senior Night with the most unforgettable of performances, a record-setting 343 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as the Wolverines crushed Avery 68-21 in a Western Highlands Conference matchup in G.M. Tennant Stadium.
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Faith, family and football drive Sanchez, and with more than two dozen relatives in the stands, many of whom had driven hours to join in the celebration of Polk’s eight seniors, Sanchez from the first handoff ran with a sense of purpose.
He cut and juked and spun as he always does. But he also ran with intent, repeatedly finishing carries by lowering his shoulder and driving into tacklers. It was an attitude shared by his teammates, who blocked at the line of scrimmage and downfield and clearly shared the goal of providing Sanchez with a night to remember.
He’ll certainly do so, as will all the others in the Polk stands and, eventually, dozens who weren’t but will claim they were there to see one of the most impressive individual efforts in school history:
- The 343 yards are a new school record, topping the old mark of 342 set by Derrick Canady in 1993.
- The eight rushing touchdowns are a new high for total touchdowns and rushing scores, beating the old marks of six and five set by Jamal Tanner in 2015 against Madison.
- Sanchez tied a state record shared by six others with his eight rushing touchdowns.
“It’s amazing,” said Polk County head coach Dustin Fry. “It’s one of those things where he just sees the hole so well, and our line just did a great job. Styler Blackwell’s lead blocking, man, it’s just everything you want.
“To do it on Senior Night, to have that kind of success – I think he said he had like 30 or 40 family members here. Even though we’ve got a few more games left, that’s a great cap for his career, for sure.”
He didn’t do it alone. Perhaps no play epitomized the night for Polk County more than a 22-yard carry where senior center Zalen McCraw pulled and led Sanchez, knocking down a would-be tackler, keeping his feet, continuing downfield and clearing another before Sanchez cut and raced past.
The Wolverines (3-6, 1-4) entered the night off a bye week and four straight losses, two of which the team felt should have been victories. Those feelings festered in the two weeks since a 27-22 setback at Madison.
No matter Avery’s 1-8 record, the effort was clearly Polk’s best of the season.
“We’ve been looking for all three phases to play a game like that,” Fry said. “It was just really nice to see everybody lock in, everybody getting to play.
“You love it when the scheme comes together, and I thought our defensive plan was fantastic.”
Senior placekicker Blake Anderson had eight extra points, just one short of the school record shared by Jim Ollis and Jarret Culbreth, and produced multiple touchbacks on kickoffs. Polk held Avery to minus-23 yards rushing, forced three turnovers and scored on two of those, short fumble returns to the end zone by RJ Simpson and Blackwell.
The Wolverines led 56-0 before Avery freshman quarterback Hudson Manis teamed with senior receiver Oak Markland for a 74-yard score just before halftime. Markland finished the night with eight catches for 289 yards and two scores, with Manis throwing for 324 yards, and normally those would have been the individual highlights of the evening.
Not this time.
Sanchez had four touchdowns and almost 200 yards in the first quarter. He added three more scores and reached 277 yards by halftime. The running clock in the second half limited his touches to just five in the final two quarters, but he matched the state scoring record and broke the school rushing mark on his final attempt, a 1-yard touchdown plunge early in the fourth quarter.
“I had a lot more passing in the game plan, and then I was like, why not, let’s just keep running it,” Fry said.
“I’m just really happy for them. It’s one of those things where they deserve this win. It’s been a tough season. We’ve had some close ones, so to be able to pull away and have a win like this and have a weekend where they can enjoy it, it makes you feel good and happy for them.”
POLK COUNTY 68, AVERY 21
A – 0 7 7 7 — 21
PC – 28 28 6 6 — 68
FIRST QUARTER
PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 12 run (Blake Anderson kick)
PC – Sanchez 11 run (Anderson kick)
PC – Sanchez 1 run (Anderson kick)
PC – Sanchez 4 run (Anderson kick)
SECOND QUARTER
PC – Sanchez 8 run (Anderson kick)
PC – RJ Simpson 7 fumble return (Anderson kick)
PC – Sanchez 10 run (Anderson kick)
PC – Sanchez 21 run (Anderson kick)
A – Oak Markland 74 pass from Hudson Manis (Josh Lewis kick)
THIRD QUARTER
PC – Styler Blackwell 10 fumble return (kick blocked)
A – Markland 68 pass from Manis (Lewis kick)
FOURTH QUARTER
PC – Sanchez 1 run (kick failed)
A – Jaxton Boone 2 run (Lewis kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
A – Jaxton Boone 4-9, Oak Markland 1-2, Tantem Webb 1-2, Hudson Manis 7-(-36). PC – Loreynzo Sanchez 33-343, Team 1-(-2).
Passing
A – Hudson Manis 12-27-1-324. PC – Brody Wilkins 4-4-0-83.
Receiving
A – Oak Markland 8-289, Jaxton Boone 4-35. PC – Styler Blackwell 3-65, Acer Eadus 1-18.
