The Polk County offense came out and basically punched the Hilltoppers in the mouth, en route to a 31-23 win..
Armed with a rejuvenated offensive line, a quarterback that is nearly impossible to get your hands on and a bruising fullback, the Wolverines dominated the line of scrimmage on nearly every play.
On Sunday, the Polk coaching staff sat down for a meeting and decided they could run the ball better than they have been.
So on Friday night when the Wolverines took the field, J.P. Ruth was the primary quarterback and Jordan Ollis took over fullback responsibilities.
It was a winning combination tonight, Polk head coach Bruce Ollis said.
Ruth ran for 193 yards and was nearly impossible for the Hilltopper defenders to get their hands on.
And for a change of pace, Ollis ran for 130 yards and spent the night pounding the middle of the R.S. Central defense, constantly pushing the Hilltoppers for three or four yards after contact. Andre Overholt and Keenan Littlejohn also moved the ball well for Polk out of the tailback position.
It took the Wolverines a quarter to find their groove. Polks first score came early in the second quarter. Polk kicker Tony Sciuva, who made his second touchdown-saving tackle in the last two weeks on special teams, booted a field goal from the 17-yard line. Polks first touchdown came in its second possession in the second quarter. On a first and ten from the Polk 44-yard line, Ruth dropped back and threw a 40-yard pass to Kamron Kerr. On a first and goal from the 4, Ruth handed off to Ollis and he punched it in with 5:28 left in the second quarter. Scuiva added the extra point.
The Wolverines scored again in the third quarter on a 13-yard run by Ruth with 3:16 left to go in the third quarter.
The Hilltoppers got their first score with 2:18 left in the third.
The Wolverines responded with a ten-yard touchdown run by Ruth.
But the Hilltoppers werent going to give up. Another quick strike made the score 24-15 Polk.
The Wolverines answered again. Ruth ran the ball in from the three-yard line after setting it up with a 17-yard run. With 5:10 left in the game, Polk had a 31-15 lead.
The Hilltoppers scored one more time with 4:11 left in the fourth quarter and converted their second two-point conversion. The Wolverines ran the clock out on their next offensive drive for the 31-23 win.
As for the running game, center Tony Wicklund was thrilled about the offensive lines performance.
Im so proud, he said. We got fired up for this game and pounded the ball. For the second time this season, the Wolverines set a record for first downs. This week they had 21.
And coach Ollis was fired up the whole night, pumping his fist and cheering the offense several times on the sidelines and afterwards he greeted smiling players and fans with a history lesson in the celebratory huddle.
That was good old fashioned Polk County football tonight, he said to cheering fans.
Polk will host border rival Landrum on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.