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Polk County may not earn an automatic berth to the state 2A dual team wrestling playoffs this season.

But the Wolverines showed Tuesday the continued growth in their program that has them on the cusp of doing so.

Polk dropped a narrow 39-36 decision at Hendersonville, the Wolverines suffering their first Mountain Foothills 7 Conference loss of the season. Polk also defeated conference foe Patton 67-12 in the tri-match, though that encounter was not counted as a league meeting.

Polk County (13-13, 4-1) still has a match next week with conference leader R-S Central and could force a three-way tie for the regular-season title with a victory there. The top two teams in the conference earn 2A automatic playoff berths, with only one wild card available for all teams in the 2A West region.

“We showed great effort, and even though we lost, we showed that we deserve to compete against tough programs,” said Polk County wrestling coach Thomas Hensley. “We will continue to work hard and improve.”