Friday Roundup: Polk’s big night, Wolverines defense cook up another big win, roll past York/Pavilion with 41-8 Homecoming win
BOLIVAR — For the third consecutive week, the Bolivar-Richburg defense held their opposition in the backfield in check all night long while they capitalized on big plays from the backfield themselves, as Rudy Polk exploded for a massive day behind four total touchdowns to fuel the Wolverines victory on Homecoming weekend by a 41-8 count over York/Pavilion under the Friday night lights.
“We’re pleased with the win, and we have some things to clean up,” said Wolverines coach Steve Smith. “The run game was great, and our run defense was great. That’s a good combination. That’s three weeks in a row we’ve held a team negatively for rush yards. We’re very team-oriented on defense, and we just made it difficult to do what they do in the backfield. It was a great effort in all phases of our game.”
Smith added, “There was a great crowd tonight, and Homecoming is always a big event in a community like ours. It was a night that the kids were excited for, and they came out and delivered.”
Polk was the number one leading rusher from the backfield for Bolivar-Richburg (4-1) all night long, as he scored 156 total yards on six rushes for three touchdowns, including the game’s first two scores in the first quarter from past midfield to earn the 7-0 lead over York/Pavilion, 55 yards out. In the second, the lead was extended with his legs once more on short yardage, capitalizing in the red zone from five yards away to earn the 14-point lead.
Landon Danaher and Kadin Tompkins would add in rushing scores of their own to wrap up a strand of 28 consecutive points to begin the game for the Wolverines, each scoring from inside the five-yard line. The visitors in gold and purple would find a way to close out the possibility of a shutout for Bolivar-Richburg on a pass play from four yards out from Jacob Pangrazio to Tyler Brady, with a two-point conversion following afterwards.
After a 28-8 halftime lead, Bolivar-Richburg made some noise right from the start in the third quarter to begin the second half, as Polk added to his big night with a massive third quarter, returning the opening kickoff 80 yards to the house before using his speed one last time on another long run to the end zone from 69 yards out to wrap up another dominant performance from the hosts in black and red.
“Rudy knows how to find his running lanes, and he is so quick that once he finds some room, he is tough to catch,” Smith said of his back. “He made things happen, and it all starts front with our line making those holes for him. On limited carries as well, he only carried six times. He made the most of it for sure.”
The Wolverines would put together 352 total yards of offense, the majority of which coming on the ground, with Danaher and Tompkins helping the cause with 78 and 70 yards respectively. As for the defense, they would hold York/Pavilion to just 60 yards total, including another negative statistic in the backfield with -9 total yards and three turnovers, led by Brayden Ellis and his two interceptions from the secondary.
On the line, Lloyd Kinnicutt (five tackles, sack) and Trent Sibble (three tackles, sack) continued to take command for the Wolverines, combining for eight tackles and two sacks against York/Pavilion to finish off another stellar defensive effort for a team that has now collected four straight victories.
At the conclusion of the game, both Polk and Kinnicutt were awarded Homecoming Offensive and Defensive MVP nods.
Next week, the Wolverines will go for five in a row when they hit the road in two of their last three games remaining on the schedule, beginning with a visit to Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen in a 7 p.m. kickoff next Friday.
York/Pavilion 0 8 0 0 — 8
Bolivar-Richburg 7 21 13 0 — 41
Scoring Summary
1st
B-R — Rudy Polk 55-yard run, PAT good (7-0 B-R)
2nd
B-R — Rudy Polk 5-yard run, PAT good (14-0 B-R)
B-R — Landon Danaher 1-yard run, PAT good (21-0 B-R)
B-R — Kadin Tompkins 5-yard run, PAT good (28-0 B-R)
Y/P — Tyler Brady 4-yard pass from Jacob Pangrazio, 2-pt conversion good (28-8 B-R)
3rd
B-R — Rudy Polk 80-yard kick return, PAT good (35-8 B-R)
B-R — Rudy Polk 69-yard run, PAT failed (41-8 B-R)
4th
None
Total Yards: Y/P 60, B-R 352.
Passing: Y/P 69, B-R 18.
Rushing: Y/P -9, B-R 334.
First Downs: Y/P 4, B-R 17.
Turnovers: Y/P 3, B-R 3.
Penalties: Y/P 5-75, B-R 6-115.
Punts: Y/P 7-30, B-R 2-28.
T.O.P: Y/P 31:08, B-R 21:54.
GIRLS SOCCER
Fillmore 2, Olean 0
FILLMORE — Through the course of the season, the Lady Eagles of Fillmore have had plenty of tests come and go on their schedule. But after each game, they have always found a way to become resilient.
Friday night could have been perhaps their toughest task at hand, when they welcomed in a Section VI heavyweight from the west — the Lady Huskies of Olean.
It was one of those matchups that the Lady Eagles had to think outside the box, and come up with a new plan in order to win against a challenging defense provided by the Lady Huskies. Although the uncertainty, one thing was certain:
They found a way to win again.
Using the mixed bag of traits that they possess, like speed and toughness, the Lady Eagles fought through it all to pick up a goal in each half of the contest, led by both Grace and Hope Russell, both recording one while the defense in turn held Olean in check all game long, as they squeezed their way toward 11 straight victories with a 2-0 shutout of their opposition.
“From the get-go, it was evident that Olean had a formidable defense that was going to challenge us at a whole different level,” said Lady Eagles coach Jon Beardsley. “Our speed of play, toughness, and mental approach had to improve in order to find success, and that is exactly what happened. We weren’t sure how we would respond to a defensive challenge like Olean gave us, but as the game wore on, I thought we really improved and learned a lot more about ourselves. This group isn’t a very emotional bunch, and tonight they stuck with it and challenged themselves mentally, and physically.”
That defense only allowed the Lady Huskies to reach their side of the field for just four shots across 80 minutes of gameplay, as Fillmore (11-0) outshot Olean by a 19-4 total count. Just two of those shots found the back of the net, with Grace Russell leading off with a penalty kick coming at the halfway mark to give the hosts a one-goal lead at the half.
Just past midway in the second half, the Lady Eagles found a way to extend that lead while in the midst of midfield combat with the visitors in white and red, as Hope Russell recorded a big piece of insurance to ensure they would remain in the lead, scoring off a corner kick from the foot of Sophia Templeton to close out the night.
“Olean has a lot of athletes that caused some concern. But our defense was simply smothering,” said Beardsley. “They couldn’t get anything started offensively at all, and our continued attack at the goal improved as the game went on. We didn’t sub much tonight, and the girls found out what kind of shape they are in. They will be a bit tired tomorrow, but overall I thought they were moving quite well late in the game.”
In net for the hosts, Preslee Miller recorded a two-save shutout to keep Fillmore’s winning ways afloat with 11 straight now in their back pocket.
The team will now go for 12 in a row when they return to action on Tuesday with a 7 p.m. road trip to Belmont, visiting host Genesee Valley/Belfast.
