As the crack of shoulder pads echoed throughout Wolverine Stadium early, early Saturday morning, Polk County head football coach Jamie Thompson admitted only one thing could have made the night better.

“It’s fun to hit,” said the third-year head coach. “But it’s more fun to hit someone else.”

The Wolverines held their first full-contact practice of the season in what has become a team tradition, the annual Midnight Madness workout. North Carolina High School Athletic Association rules allow teams to have their first contact of the season on the sixth day of fall practice; Polk County lined up for its first hitting drill at 12:01 a.m., a small crowd in the stands watching.

Saturday’s practice lasted until approximately 1:45 a.m. and concluded with full 11-on-11 drills, giving Thompson his first look at the team in a full-contact environment. He came away from the entire evening pleased with what he saw.

“I thought it went well,” Thompson said. “The kids were ready to go. No one got hurt, and that’s the important thing.

“I was pleased with how we looked offensively. The new stuff that we’ve put in offensively seems to be working well. Defensively, we did a good job.”

Polk County will shift its preseason preparation into a new gear in the days ahead, with East Rutherford visiting on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for a scrimmage and the Wolverines then taking part in the Cleveland County Jamboree on Friday, facing Burns at 6 p.m.

Polk County opens its regular season on Aug. 19 at Chase.

“We’re ready to hit someone else, and we’ll get to do that Wednesday,” Thompson said.

– Submitted by PolkSports.com