After winning the last five games of the regular season to earn a spot in the postseason, Polk County now joins 31 other 2A teams that are five wins from a state championship.

The Wolverines, 9-2 overall and 6-1 in conference, host Brevard in the first round of the state playoffs tonight.

A big win over rival Hendersonville last Friday gave Polk not only a share of the Western Highlands Conference title, but a first round home playoff game.

Because Polk lost to co-conference champion Mountain Heritage, the Wolverines got the conferences lower seed. Polk enters the playoffs as a #5 seed in the west, while Mountain Heritage is a #2 seed.

The Wolverines begin against a team they know they can beat. Polk beat Brevard 14-0 in the second game of the season this year. That win came on the road and without current starting quarterback Andre Overholt, who was out with an injury.

Brevard, which is coming off a 45-7 defeat against Pisgah, did not fare as well against the same competition. The Blue Devils narrowly edged Mitchell 33-26, while Polk crushed Mitchell 29-0 for one of its three shutouts.

Still, the Wolverines, participating in the 2A playoffs for the first time after moving up this year from 1A, are not likely to look past Brevard, which has more experience in the playoffs.

Brevard, the state champion in 1982, has played twice as many playoff games and has won half of them, according to the N.C. High School Athletic Association. The Wolverines have exited the playoffs in the first round in each of the past two years, including last season when they fell 14-0 to West Montgomery.

This year Polk will try to use its balanced offensive attack and formidable defense to make a playoff run. The Wolverines have allowed just 15 points per game.

If they get past Brevard, Polk will face the winner of Thomasville and East Rutherford. Thomasville is a #4 seed and would have home field advantage.