Adam Dedmon could not help but smile.

Wednesday provided signs that the sport of wrestling is making a resurgence in Polk County. The future of the high school program looks bright, as Polk County Middle earned its first win in almost five years and the newly-formed Wolverine Wrestling Club took to the mat at PCHS, prior to the Wolverines’ scheduled matches, with the young wrestlers competing against members of the 828 Wrestling Club.

And though Polk County’s night ended in a 36-36 tie with East Rutherford, the Wolverines losing on criteria (most falls), and a 48-33 setback against Hendersonville, none of that could stop Dedmon, in his first year at Polk County, from wearing an optimistic grin.

“Though we were giving up four or five weight classes, I thought we wrestled great when we had matches,” Dedmon said. “We’re improving day by day. We’ve got a lot of young kids, and they’re learning the system and continuing every day to get better.”

Polk County wrestled without some 8-10 athletes who will eventually join the team, those still part of the Wolverines’ football squad. Those who did compete Wednesday battled in every match.

Preston Burnett and Brennan Worthington each won two matches on the night to lead the Polk effort. Dedmon was especially pleased with the performance of three middleweights — Worthington, Bryce Thompson and Trevor Thompson — in the Hendersonville effort.

“We moved all of those kids up a weight class,” Dedmon said. “It was good to see them have the mentality to bump up a weight class and still get a win.

“With our football kids, we’d had a decent chance to win both matches. But it is what it is and those are the cards we’re dealt right now. We gave up 30 points and I thought we still held our own.”

The Wolverines are scheduled to compete this weekend in the Falcon Frenzy tournament at West Henderson.

East Rutheford 36, Polk County 36

113: Collier Foster (PC) p. Sean Champion

120: Double forfeit

126: Double forfeit

132: Preston Barnett (PC) p. Joseph Scoggins

138: Brennan Worthington (PC) p. Alan Lopez

145: Bryce Thompson (PC) by forfeit

152: Taylor Thorn (ER) p. Cody Dimsdale

160: Kaden Jobe (PC) by forfeit

170: Cameron Holley (ER) p. Trevor Thompson

182: Randy Stuart (ER) by forfeit

195: Jesse Sutphin (ER) p. Kiel Kerskand

220: Scott Strange (ER) p. Lane Smith

285: Samuel Hopkins (ER) p. Orlando Baltazar

106: Tori Strickland (PC) by forfeit

Hendersonville 48, Polk County 33

120: JaJuan Givens (H) by forfeit

126: Preston Barnett (PC) dec. Talon Johnson, 8-4

132: Vernon Robertson (H) by forfeit

138: Brennan Worthington (PC) p. Thomas Hoffman, 3:13

145: Kenneth Bryson (H) p. Avery Mott, 2:35

152: Bryce Thompson (PC) p. Everett Forehand, 1:49

160: Kaden Jobe (PC) p. Noah Jennings, 0:47

170: Trevor Thompson (PC) p. Gabriel Massey, 1:56

182: Anthony Carcamo (H) by forfeit

195: Austin Hudson (H) over Kiel Kerskand, 0:23

220: Thaddeus Blackwell (H) over Lane Smith, 0;59

285: Bryce Naylor (H) over Orlando Baltazar, 0:25

106: Collier Foster (PC) by forfeit

113: Brendan Poeta (H) p. Tori Strickland, 3:51

– Submitted by PolkSports.com