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Polk County finally found its first-half mojo Saturday.

And didn’t have to play much of a second half as a result.

The Wolverines scored in the first minute of their playoff opener and didn’t stop, rolling to a 9-0 victory over Bethany Community School in G.M. Tennant Stadium.

Polk County (14-4-3) faces a much more challenging task next. Thomas Jefferson (18-4-1) will visit Tuesday at 6 p.m. for a second-round encounter, a rematch of last year’s third-round match, which the Gryphons won 1-0.

Goals will undoubtedly be tougher to come by Tuesday than Saturday afternoon. Polk led 2-0 after three minutes, 3-0 after eight minutes and 4-0 after 13. The Wolverines led 5-0 by halftime, then scored four goals in the first 11 minutes of the second half to end the contest with more than 29 minutes remaining.

First-half tallies have often been a rare commodity this season for Polk. Not so this time.

“It’s always good to come out in a playoff game and score within the first minute,” said Polk County head coach George Alley. “We just clearly had a significant speed advantage on the field.

“I think they were trying to congest us in the midfield, which they did. I thought the guys recognized that pretty well and recognized we had an advantage in balls that got played over the top.”

Cooper Meyer and Thomas Varnadore each scored three goals, with Blake Anderson, Luke Garrison and Tommy Jackson each adding goals. Garrison, elevated to the varsity from the junior varsity, scored on a long pass from his brother, Will, with the older Garrison sending a pass some 40 yards over the top of the Bethany defense for Luke Garrison to corral and score.

“We played somewhat unselfishly, we shared the ball a little bit, we got a bunch of kids into the game,” Alley said. “I’m proud of the guys. No one got hurt, and we’re rested. We’re ready for Tuesday.”