Injuries and illnesses have kept Polk County from fielding a wrestling squad at full strength the past two weeks. Which makes the team’s six-match winning streak all that more impressive – and quite a sign of things to come, according to head coach Phillip Miller.
The Wolverines stretched their current winning run to six with a pair of victories Tuesday, defeating Smoky Mountain 44-30 and Landrum 37-27 in tri-match action at Polk, the team’s first home matches of the season.
And the Wolverines have not just six straight wins, but six wins in eight days, including a sweep of the East Henderson Duals on Saturday. It’s a run that has given Polk County’s young squad a much-needed shot of confidence.
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“For the first home match of the year, you can’t ask for much more than that,” Miller said. “We’re starting to get better with the conference starting soon. It’s all about getting ready for the conference schedule.
“I hope good things are coming. The kids are getting a lot of confidence. For some of these freshmen, just having confidence has made a world of difference.”
Polk County wrestled Smoky Mountain to open Tuesday’s event and roared to a 34-0 lead en route to victory. Cameron Reed opened the match with a forfeit at 132 before Dustin Calvert scored a pin late in the first period at 138. Anthony Marino earned a major decision, 8-0, at 145, controlling the match throughout all three periods.
Polk then got two pins in a minute of action, Franklin Sandoval winning in 27 seconds at 152 and Chandler Patrick winning in 35 seconds at 160. Ryan Badger added a pin in the final 15 seconds of his match at 170 to give the Wolverines a 34-0 margin.
“We’ve got to start fast,” Miller said. “Since we’re giving up 18 points (with three empty weight classes), we’ve got to start fast.”
Jerry Cox posted a 9-1 major decision at 195 and Marquise Lipscomb won by pin with a quick move in the second period to complete the scoring for Polk.
Tuesday’s victories followed Polk’s weekend success at East Henderson, where the Wolverines won all three matches, topping Landrum, Cherokee and East.
“I hoped we would go 2-1, and we went 3-0,” Miller said. “It was a big confidence boost, especially for some of the freshmen. You would have thought we won the national title or something.”
The Wolverines wrestled Tuesday without Chase McMurray, Matthew Reedy, Damian Cantrell and Austin Hylemon, each currently sidelined but expected to be back in the next 2-3 weeks. Their return, along with the possible pickup of another wrestler or two, should continue to bolster Polk’s chances of making noise in the Western Highlands Conference race when league matches begins in January.
“We’re about where I thought we’d be,” Miller said. “We’re getting better right when we need to be. I know it’s going to be tough, but I still think we’ve got a shot at making the state duals.”
Polk County 44, Smoky Mountain 30
132: Cameron Reed (PC) forfeit
138: Dustin Calvert (PC) p. Trajan Raines
145: Anthony Marino (PC) maj. dec. Blake Ward, 8-0
152: Franklin Sandoval (PC) p. Jacob Scifers
160: Chandler Patrick (PC) p. Marshall May
170: Ryan Badger (PC) p. Juan Martinez
182: Jacob Gass (SM) p. Gabe Lail
195: Jerry Cox (PC) maj. dec. Austin Enloe, 9-1.
220: Marquise Lipscomb (PC) p. Todd Martin
285: Anthony Clonch (SM) p. DJ Twitty
106: Double forfeit
113: Jackson Self (SM) forfeit
120: Jeffery Woodard (SM) p. Gabe O`Brien
126: Brandon Austin (SM) forfeit
Polk County 37, Landrum 27
145: Anthony Marino (PC) dec. Alex Samenko, 9-2
152: Franklin Sandoval (PC) dec. Hunter Rossi, 5-0
160: Chandler Patrick (PC) p. Adam Burns
170: Heath Jordan (L) p. Ryan Badger
182: Gabe Lail (PC) dec. Jacob Ridings, 8-3
195: Jerry Cox (PC) forfeit
220: Ismael Bravo (L) dec. Marquise Lipscomb, 5-2, OT
285: DJ Twitty (PC) forfeit
106: Double forfeit
113: Erik Wiley (L) forfeit
120: Kennon McAbee (L) p. Gabe O’Brien
126: Christian Armstrong (L) forfeit
132: Chase Emory (PC) p. Wren Pierce
138: Dustin Calvert (PC) maj. dec. Clay Prass, 13-4
