Trey Thompson (53) and Mitchell Yoder meet after Saturday's Averett-Brevard football game (photo courtesy Jamie Thompson)

PolkNotes: Wolverine reunion, Beiler’s big night, Rock-ing on field

Andy Rhinehart

Editor / Founder

Averett University’s football season opener on Saturday offered an opportunity for a Polk County reunion.

The Cougars opened their delayed, shortened season at home against Brevard College, with former Wolverine Mitchell Yoder starting at running back for Brevard and former Wolverine Trey Thompson in uniform for Averett.

Yoder and Brevard emerged the winner, taking a 19-10 victory, and Yoder played a key role. The sophomore rushed for 28 yards on eight carries and caught four passes for 22 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown reception that began a Brevard comeback from a 10-0 halftime deficit.

Yoder also had a long punt return called back due to a penalty.

The two Polk County graduates met after the game, exchanging brief greetings before heading their respective ways.

Averett is slated to travel to Methodist College on Friday while Brevard is slated to host Huntingdon on Saturday at 1 p.m.

BIG NIGHT FOR BEILER: Casey Beiler’s 217 passing yards in Friday’s 49-14 victory over East Rutherford were obviously a career high for the Wolverine sophomore, making his second career varsity start.

The effort, though, marked the first time a Polk County quarterback finished with more than 200 passing yards since October 20, 2014, when Jamal Tanner passed for 210 yards in a 40-14 victory at Mitchell.

The school record, of course, remains Chris Eckert’s 440-yard night in 1996 against Landrum. Eckert was 26-of-32 on that evening, throwing seven touchdown passes, five of those to Richard McEntyre.

NOTABLE AGENDA FOR NCHSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors are set to meet Wednesday and vote on a number of notable items.

Perhaps the top item on the agenda is the finalization of the realignment process for the 2021-2025 seasons. The board received the final proposal last month and will vote to officially approve that plan pending any final appeals.

The board is also expected to establish a new playoff format that will go into effect this fall as well as approve the calendar for the 2021-22 season and the football calendar for the next two seasons.

Polk County’s conference home is set for the next four seasons, with the Wolverines joining Brevard, Chase, East Rutherford, Hendersonville, Patton and R-S Central in the new alignment. The schools have already met to begin working out details of that new league, including its name.

Lennox Charles with the Carolinas Cup runner-up trophy (photo courtesy Lennox Charles)

CHARLES DOING WHAT HE DOES: Lennox Charles isn’t just a legendary soccer coach in Polk County. He’s also still an active player.

Charles and his Charlotte Premier Soccer League O-55 team reached the championship match of the 2020 Carolinas Cup Over 55 division. CPSL FC dropped a 3-2 decision to a Virginia-based team, Curmudgeons, in the final.

Charles also competed in the Over 50 division with All-in to Fight Cancer, another Charlotte-based squad. That team reached the tourney semifinals before falling 1-0 to Kentucky Waterfall.

The tournaments were held in December at Truist Sports Park in Winston-Salem.