The call was so good that Polk County Middle quarterback Lawson Carter let out a cheer on the sideline when he received the play.

The celebration proved prescient – Kendall McEntyre rumbled 11 yards for a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half, helping spark the Wolverines to a 30-0 win over Apple Valley at Utz Field.

McEntyre’s score came with 22 seconds left in the half and ended a 14-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes. The 2-point conversion failed, but Polk County (3-1) still took a 14-0 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Wolverines stopped Apple Valley on its first drive of the third quarter and went to work once again on offense, driving 56 yards in six plays. Carter hit Karlen McEntyre for 20 yards on a sideline route to open the drive, and Luke Miller sprinted up the middle for 16 yards to end it. Miller then added the 2-point conversion for a 22-0 lead with 1:07 left in the third.

Polk Middle’s defense, solid throughout the game, then sealed the win with six points of its own, Antonio Simpson intercepting an Apple Valley pass near the 30 and racing into the end zone. Carter tossed a 2-point conversion to Alex Tipton for a 30-0 margin with 5:48 remaining.

“We did a great job defensively,” said Polk Middle head coach Ethan Edwards. “We played some bend, don’t break defense and gave up some yards, but we played tough in tight situations and forced them into making some mental mistakes.

“Our intensity was better and we moved people off the ball. We lost last week (14-8 at Brevard Middle) because we weren’t moving people off the ball. We made some strides there today.”

Polk Middle scored its first touchdown on the opening kickoff as Karlen McEntyre sprinted to his left and flashed past the Polk sideline to return the kick for a score. Kendall McEntyre added the 2-point conversion to give Polk a quick 8-0 lead.

The Wolverine defense finished with a pair of interceptions as Polk earned its first shutout in almost a year and the Wolverines avenged their only defeat last season, a 14-8 loss at Apple Valley.

“We spread the ball around, which I like to see,” Edwards said. “Everybody got a chance to get involved.

“We scored on special teams and we had a really good kickoff to go down and put ourselves in good field position.”

Polk Middle continues its three-game homestand next Thursday, with Flat Rock visiting for a 5 p.m. kickoff.

— by Andy Rhinehart