What Thursday’s wrestling match at Polk County Middle lacked in drama, it more than made up for in brevity.
A rebuilding Rugby Middle program proved no match for a Wolverine squad building for next week’s Blue Ridge Conference Dual Team Championships. Polk Middle won the first 12 matches, opening a 67-0 advantage, en route to an 85-18 triumph in its final regular-season home match.
The Wolverines (13-0) needed just around an hour to officially claim sole possession of their fifth straight BRC East Division title with the triumph, earning them the right to host the four-team conference finals. Head coach Jerry Cox hopes Thursday’s result is a sign that Polk Middle is peaking at the most opportune time.
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“Like I say every year, we want to be hitting on all cylinders when it counts,” Cox said. “We’ve got one more match Tuesday and then Thursday’s the big deal. So we’re finding our stride at the right time.”
Ellis Searcy opened the match with a second-period pin of Preston Bettini and the Wolverines were off and running. Ten of those opening 12 victories came by pin, with Evan Taylor scoring a major decision at 86 pounds and Boaz Wilson taking a 5-0 triumph at 128 pounds.
Perhaps nothing epitomized the day more for Polk Middle than the 190-pound match, where Michael Jenkinson strode out and won in nine seconds, taking Rugby’s Anthony Jackson to the mat immediately and recording a fall.
The Wolverines will travel Tuesday to Brevard Middle for a 4:30 p.m. match to conclude the regular season.
78: Ellis Searcy (PC) p. Preston Bettini
86: Evan Taylor maj. dec. James Bishop, 11-2
92: Tiernan Hanna (PC) p. Kade Wilson
100: Eric Ramirez (PC) p. Rayghlin Lecker
108: Josh Odel (PC) p. Colt O’Brien
115: Coalden Cehan (PC) p. Braydon Webb
122: Rhys Jackson (PC) p. Thaddeus Azimil
128: Boaz Wilson (PC) d. Hannah Brown, 5-0
134: Jax Gosnell (PC) p. Silas Morris
140: Oakley McDowell (PC) p. Marcel Gibbs
147: Isaac Whitley (PC) p. Graham Brevard
152: Trenholm McMinn (PC) p. Noah Lyons
159: Rhett Ridgeway (R) p. Richard Dyson
167: James Logan (PC) p. Francisco Tarzonia
175: Cyrpus Jones (R) p. Brycen Tuttle
190: Michael Jenkinson (PC) p. Anthony Jackson
215: Gabe Nelon (PC) p. Sage Taylor
250: Cameron Morris (R) p. Landon Plylar
