Last week’s defeat dropped Avery (4-3 overall, 2-1 conference) into a tie for second in the Western Highlands Conference standings, while Polk County (5-2 overall) shut out Mitchell 29-0 last Friday night and is part of the logjam along with the Cougars and Vikings at 2-1 in WHC play.Last season the Wolverines defeated Avery by a 28-7 score in Columbus, and have won the last three battles between the teams.
Scouting the Wolverines
The Polk Wolverines are led by eighth-year head coach Bruce Ollis. The team was 7-5 a season ago with a young ball club after winning the conference in 2007. In the recent past, the club has utilized a pass-oriented offense, but the Wolverines have adapted a more ground-based running game.
“We’re always optimistic here in Columbus,” Coach Ollis remarked during the preseason. “Our players expect to win and we feel very good.”
2009 marks the first season that the Wolverines play in the Western Highlands Conference as a 2A team, encouraging news to Vikings teams who have also had to face Polk in postseason play over the past four seasons.
Polk entered the season with high expectations behind starting quarterback Andre Overholt (5’9”, 145 lb. Jr.), but an injury forced the run/pass dual threat quarterback out of action before returning two weeks ago against Mountain Heritage.
Backup Dakota Turner filled in admirably in Overholt’s absence however, by ranking among the region’s leaders in passing with 768 yards, mostly in connections with teammate and senior wide receiver Justin Blackburn. Running back Keenan Littlejohn (81 yards on 16 carries in last week’s win over Mitchell) continues to emerge as a ground threat to keep the pressure off the Polk signal-callers.
Defensively, the Wolverines are led by J.J. Maxwell who averages around 12 tackles per contest, while Overholt was All-Conference as a sophomore at defensive back a season ago.
Polk returns a number of players at key positions this season, including RB/LB Justin Ridings, running back/cornerback Landon Schlabach, and tight end/defensive lineman Seth McCool.
The Low Down:
Avery will need to quickly recover from the blowout loss to the Bearcats, as the Wolverines will prove to be another stern conference test. Turnovers plagued the Vikings in last Friday’s loss, while the Wolverines, though not possessing the sheer speed of Hendersonville, still have its share of fast athletes who can quickly get to the football.
Friday’s loss was a watermark for this year’s Avery Vikings team. How they respond in this week’s game may speak volumes on how well the team can respond from adversity and get back into the win column.
Polk County can throw the ball with the likes of Blackburn as the wide receiver position, but the running game and stingy defense was the bread-and-butter last week against Mitchell. Avery must keep the Polk defense guessing to have its greatest chance for success at MacDonald Stadium this Friday.
By the Numbers:
2- special teams touchdowns surrendered by Avery in Friday’s 40-7 loss at Hendersonville Friday night.
4- Avery turnovers in the second quarter of last week’s contest.
19 – passing yards on two completions as Avery sophomore quarterback Alex Villanueva was held in check by the Bearcats last week.
141 – yards in total offense gained by the Vikings in last week’s loss to Hendersonville. Ironically enough, also the total yardage the Polk defense held Mitchell to in its victory last Friday.
446- receiving yards by Polk County wide receiver Justin Blackburn entering last week’s win over Mitchell, good enough for third in the region.
Read next week’s edition of the Journal-Times for a full recap of Friday’s game with Polk County, as well as a preview of next week’s game at Madison.
