During the course of any football season, it is a given that there will be good weeks and bad weeks – and for the Polk County football program, last week will be remembered as a tough one indeed.
Last Wednesday, the Wolverine nation lost a beloved member of the family as Nate Philpott, father of Coach Todd Philpott, passed away at the age of 63. A day later, during Thursday’s walk-through, Nate’s grandson Alec Philpott separated his shoulder diving for a halfback pass, an injury that will sideline the Wolverine’s starting quarterback for an estimated two to three weeks.
Following the injury, Polk head coach Bruce Ollis gathered his shaken squad to put a positive spin on a tough situation.
“I told the guys that this just gives us an opportunity to make our team better, because we’re going to have a first-time starter again at quarterback just like we did against Tuscola,” said Ollis. “I told the team that it’ll be business as usual.”
Boarding the bus to Brevard Friday afternoon, the Wolverines were all business, and as usual, business was good, as sophomore QB Reece Schlabach led Polk to a decisive 38-6 victory over the Blue Devils.
“My teammates were there for me the whole time, and that really helped my confidence,” said Schlabach, adding, “I couldn’t have done any of it without our line – they did an incredible job.”
“You’re very pleased when your second team quarterback can come in and lead your team to victory after an injury to your starter,” commented Ollis. “That was very gratifying as a head football coach.”
The Wolverines scored on their first possession, as senior Cary Littlejohn sprinted 92 yards for a touchdown early in the opening quarter, en route to 139 yards on the night.
After a Blue Devil fumble was recovered, Schlabach ran it in from 4 yards out to make it 16-0 Polk at the end of the first period.
The Wolverine defense got in on the scoring in the second quarter, as DB Deion Twitty picked off a pass from Blue Devil quarterback Tre Pope and returned it 15 yards for Polk’s third touchdown of the game. Littlejohn closed out the first half scoring for Polk, dashing 14 yards into the end zone to give Polk the 32-0 lead going into the intermission.
Twitty, who went on to intercept two more passes on the night, credits his defensive line for setting up the scoring pick.
“I saw Jacob (Painter) get in the quarterback’s face, and he just threw the ball up, and I just read it,” said the senior defensive back, who has nine tackles already this season.
“Deion’s just got a nose for the football,” commented Ollis, adding, “He is a very instinctive defensive back.”
The Wolverines notched their final touchdown of the game with 3:06 left in the third as Joel Booker punched it in from 8 yards out to make it 38-0 Polk. For the second straight week, Ollis was able to empty his benches, allowing all of his players to get a taste of the action under the lights.
This Friday, the Wolverines (2-0) return to the friendly confines of the Little Big House, playing host to the archrival Hilltoppers of R-S Central, who lost Friday to East Henderson by the score of 41-14.