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For some time, Polk County wrestling coach Thomas Hensley has been telling observers that the best is yet to come for Wolverine wrestling.

You could make a pretty good case Saturday that Polk County’s future has arrived.

Led by regional champion Styler Blackwell, the Wolverines qualified a school-record nine wrestlers for this week’s state 1A tournament and finished second as a team in the 1A West Regional at Cherryville.

The top four teams at the two-day regional featured three familiar faces – Mount Airy, Robbinsville and Avery, the dominant 1A programs of recent years. Polk County more than held its own with that group; Mount Airy matched its West Regional dual team title with the team trophy at the individual regional, with the Wolverines next followed by Robbinsville, Avery and Alleghany.

The Wolverines had five regional finalists – Efrain Rivera, Amon Villarreal, Brody Wolfe, Zalen McCraw and Blackwell. Also earning a trip to the state tournament, which begins Friday in Greensboro, were Liam Jackson, Carson Bell, Jaxtyn Virgil and Chester Wilson. None of the nine qualifiers are seniors. All helped the team better the old record of six qualifiers, set in 2009.

Jackson and Wilson both celebrated their berths by racing off the mat and leaping into their father’s arms. There were a lot of hugs throughout the afternoon.

Blackwell joined 2024 champion Jadyn Virgil as the only Polk County wrestlers to earn regional titles since 2011. He survived a challenging match with East Wilkes’ Wesley Willey in the semifinals, with Willey taking a 9-5 lead into the final period and leading 10-9 with a minute remaining in the match.

Blackwell scored a takedown with 55 seconds left to grab a 12-10 advantage, only for Willey to escape with 37 seconds remaining. But Blackwell held off Willey to secure the decision and move into the finals, where he dominated Starmount’s Brodie Wright before pinning him early in the second period.

Every Polk County wrestler won at least one match during the two-day event. Two of them, Cole Huntley and Jacob Ed, came within one win of qualifying for the state tournament.

Ed’s 6-4 loss to Robbinsville’s Devin Hall proved especially heartbreaking as the Polk senior finished a win short of a state trip for the second straight year. Ed led Hall 4-3 with a minute remaining in the match, but Hall scored a takedown with 40 seconds left, then kept Ed from escaping to claim the win.