Polk County waited nearly four years to put a junior varsity football team back on the field.
The Wolverines made the return worth the wait.
Polk County scored twice in the first half, then put together a long touchdown drive spanning the third and fourth quarters to claim a 20-12 victory over Cherryville on Thursday at G.M. Tennant Stadium.
Get PolkSports delivered to your inbox
Sign up for our free newsletter →
It marked Polk County’s first JV game since October 2022 and first victory at that level since a 41-20 win over Patton in September of that year.
Matthew Sokil helped make the return a successful one.
After Polk’s defense stopped Cherryville on downs on its opening possession, the Wolverines took over at the Ironmen 47. Sokil swept around the left end, raced down the sideline and then cut back toward the middle of the field for the touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Cherryville answered early in the second quarter after a punt return gave the Ironmen possession at the Polk 28. A touchdown pass evened the score at 6-6.
The tie didn’t last long.
Riley Morgan took the ensuing kickoff and raced 66 yards to the Cherryville 11. Sokil eventually scored on a 2-yard run, with Morgan adding the 2-point conversion to put the Wolverines ahead 14-6.
Cherryville threatened again just before halftime, moving into Polk territory, but Sokil intercepted a final-second pass at the goal line to preserve the eight-point advantage.
The Ironmen pulled within two in the third quarter after Polk lost a fumble on its opening possession. A long Cherryville pass moved the ball inside the Wolverine 10, and a 9-yard touchdown pass eventually cut Polk’s lead to 14-12. The Wolverines stopped the ensuing 2-point run.
Polk then responded with perhaps its most important possession of the night.
The Wolverines began a long drive at their 34 that carried into the fourth quarter, with Morgan finding Gabriel Whiteside for 26 yards on a sliding catch at the Cherryville 10.
Polk eventually earned a first down, then Morgan went back to Whiteside, who caught a 4-yard touchdown pass just inside the back line of the end zone. The conversion attempt failed, but the Wolverines had a 20-12 lead.
That would be enough.
Polk stopped Cherryville on downs, then the Ironmen returned the favor. With time running out, Cherryville began throwing downfield in search of a late score.
On the game’s final play, Chase Godsey intercepted a pass to seal Polk County’s long-awaited return to JV football with a victory.
