Polk County nearly scored a dual match win Wednesday over Hendersonville, the Bearcats getting a pin in the final event of the night to secure a one-point win.

Given that the Wolverines lost by 15 points to the Bearcats earlier this season, head coach Adam Dedmon saw that as a continued sign of the growth of the Polk program.

The Wolverines won one of three dual matches held at Polk, defeating Shelby 48-29, falling 63-16 to Kings Mountain and the 40-39 loss to Hendersonville in the final match of the evening.

It marked the first time in 11 days that Polk wrestlers were able to compete, thanks to last week’s winter weather, and that left Dedmon the happiest of all.

“We missed seven matches last week due to weather, and we really didn’t have a chance to practice, either,” Dedmon said. “I felt like on Monday and Tuesday we had our best practices of the year. We’re still getting better and better.”

The Wolverines defeated Shelby on the strength of eight forfeits, then lost to a Kings Mountain team that has dominated much of its schedule thus far this season.

That left Hendersonville, which already owned a 48-33 win over Polk County in November. Polk grabbed a quick 3-0 lead as Preston Burnett earned a hard-fought 3-2 decision at 126 points, building a 3-0 lead over Talon Johnson and surviving two points for stalling in the final period. Burnett also earned Polk’s only on-mat decision against Kings Mountain, recording a 14-3 major decision over Darrell Whittaker.

Brennan Worthington at 138, Jacon Knighton at 152 and Kaden Jobe at 160 each recorded pins, giving Polk a 21-10 lead. Trey Thompson followed with a dominant performance at 182 before notching a fall in the second period to keep the Wolverine lead at 27-16.

Hendersonville rallied with three straight wins in the upper weights before Collier Foster stopped the run at 106 pounds, escaping early in the second period, quickly reversing Brendan Poeta and scoring a pin. Tori Strickland’s win by forfeit at 113 gave Polk a 39-34 edge, but Hendersonville’s JaJuan Givens scored a fall at 120 pounds to secure the team win.

“Kings Mountain, I think, is 21-3 as a team this season,” Dedmon said. “I wanted us to see a team like that to see where we need to be at that next level.

“Hendersonville, we lost by 15 to them last time. Tonight, we lost by one and were in it until the last match. We’re improving. Definitely improving. We’ve just got to come in and continue to work hard and keep improving.”

Polk County will compete Friday and Saturday in the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple at the Asheville Civic Center.

Polk County 48, Shelby 29

106: TK Simmons (S) p. Collier Foster

113: Jamjah Patterson (S) p. Tori Strickland

120: Deacon Nodine (PC) by forfeit

126: Preston Burnett (PC) by forfeit

132: Satchel McCoy (PC) by forfeit

138: Will Berkowitz (S) tech. fall Brennan Worthington (PC)

145: Amir Haynes (S) p. Jacob Knighton

152: Double forfeit

160: Javis Roseboro (S) p. Kaden Jobe

170: Cody Dimsdale (PC) by forfeit

182: Trey Thompson (PC) by forfeit

195: Lane Smith (PC) by forfeit

220: Carlos Sedano (PC) by forfeit

285: Harrison Waddell (PC) by forfeit

Kings Mountain 63, Polk County 16

106: Koby Rikard (KM) p. Collier Foster

113: Ryne Smith (KM) p. Austin Lindsey

120: Aiden Wilson (KM) p. Deacon Nodine

126: Gage Moore (KM) p. Satchel McCoy

132: Preston Burnett (PC) maj. dec. Darrell Whittaker, 14-3

138: Dayvion Downs (KM) maj. dec. Bryson McCraw, 17-4

145: Brennan Worthington (PC) by forfeit

152: Peyton Fisher (KM) maj. dec. Kaden Jobe, 11-2

160: Nathan Groves (KM) p. Cody Dimmsdale

170: Trey Crawford (KM) by forfeit

182: Trey Thompson (PC) by forfeit

195: Joe Ruffalo (KM) p. Lane Smith

220: Mullins (KM) p. Carlos Sedano

285: Brown (KM) p. Harrison Waddell

Hendersonville 40, Polk County 39

106: Collier Foster (PC) p. Brendan Poeta

113: Tori Strickland (PC) by forfeit

120: JaJuan Givens (H) p. Deacon Nodine

126: Preston Burnett (PC) d. Talon Johnson, 3-2

132: Fabian Mills (H) maj. dec. Satchel McCoy, 15-6

138: Brennan Worthington (PC) p. Thomas Hoffman

145: Kenneth Bryson (H) p. Bryson Mccraw

152: Jacob KNighton (PC) p. Everett Forehand

160: Kaden Jobe (PC) p. Noah Jennings

170: Jeremiaz Huinil (H) p. Cody Dimsdale

182: Trey Thompson (PC) p. Anthony Carcamo

195: Austin Hudson (H) p. Lane Smith

220: Thaddeus Blackwell (H) p. Carlos Sedano

285: Trevor Musselwhite (H) p. Harrison Waddell

– Submitted by PolkSports.com