By Mark Schmerling
Polk County, Landrum and Smokey Mountain high school wrestling teams met at Polk on Tuesday, with Polk upending Landrum and Smokey Mountain, and the Mustangs edging The Cardinals.

The twin wins (44-30 against the Mustangs, and 33-27 over Landrum) made it six in a row for the 6-6 Wolverines.
Landrum is 5-5 overall.
“Our freshmen are starting to get excited, and starting to get a little confidence,” Wolverine’s coach Phillip Miller said. “Good things are starting to happen.”
Chase Emory’s 14-5 record leads the Wolverines, followed by Jerry Cox (10-3), D.J. Twitty (4-1), and Dustin Calvert (7-4).
So many good things happened quickly when the Wolverines met Smokey Mountain to open the meet, that Polk enjoyed a 34-0 lead after just six bouts. Against the Mustangs, Polk got pins by Dustin Calvert (138 pounds), Franklin Sandoval (152), Chandler Patrick (160), Ryan Badger (170) and Marquise Lipscomb (220); major decision wins from Anthony Marino (145) and Jerry Cox (195), to go along with forfeit wins.
Landrum/Polk action began at 145 pounds, where the Wolverines Anthony Marino scored a 9-2 decision over Alex Samenko.
With Polk leading, 12-6, Landrum’s Heath Jordan won by pin in just 24 seconds. Polk’s Gabe Lail opened the score to 15-6 with an 8-3 decision at 182. After Polk won by forfeit at 195, fans saw possibly the bout of the night, when the Wolverines’ Marquis Lipscomb and the Cardinals’ Ismael Bravo met at 220. After a fierce six minutes of regulation, and three overtime periods, Bravo emerged a 4-3 winner, to close Polk’s lead to 21-9. At 120, Landrum’s Kennon McAbee’s pin in just 20 seconds, tied the score at 27. However, Polk’s Chase Emory (now 14-5) returned the favor by earning a pin at 132 to put Polk ahead to stay. Dustin Calvert sealed the 37-27 win for Polk with a 13-4 major decision at 138.
In spite of the loss, Landrum coach Josh Fowler was optimistic.
“Our team wrestled well last night for the most part,” Fowler said. “Jacob Ridings and Ismael Bravo stepped up big for us and kept us in the match.  We are very young, starting several freshmen and first year wrestlers, and we are still missing starters due to injuries. Polk is always a good match, they are a tough team, and a great rival to have.”
The Cardinals jumped off to a 24-0 lead against Smokey Mountain, with four pins, including Samenko’s at 145. However, the Mustangs stormed back to overcome the Cardinals.
Landrum next meets reigning Upper State champion Liberty, on Jan. 7.
This Saturday, Dec. 21 Polk competes in the Wade Hampton Duals In Greenville, SC.  The Wolverines will next compete in the Dec. 28 Byrnes Tournament at Byrnes High School.  On Jan. 8, they’ll take on Mitchell and Avery at Mitchell.