LAKE WORTH – The concept of being home means a lot to Cole Polnasek.
It’s the primary reason why Park Vista’s No. 1 cornerback recently decided to play college football at Keiser. He had six total offers, which included the likes of Lehigh, Tennessee State, St. Thomas, Florida Tech, and Stetson.
“I’ll be playing for coaches I’m already familiar with, like Coach Hilliker,” Polnasek said of the Keiser tight ends coach, who was previously an assistant coach at Park Vista. “Also, my family can still come out and watch me ball.”
Polnasek seems to be a great fit for Keiser, considering the fact that he loves to match up against an opposing team’s No. 1 receiver.
Case in point: Against Palm Beach Central – a 29-21 home loss in Week 5 of this past season – Polnasek recorded five tackles, three pass breakups, and an onside kick recovery that gave Park Vista a chance to score and possibly pull off an upset win. Those three PBU’s came against Florida State signee and MVP of the Year Bryan Robinson, who ended the year as our No. 1-ranked wide receiver and No. 1 overall player.
“I had to line up against Bryan all game and held him to only a few catches,” the 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback said. “He scored during zone when he split our safeties. But in man coverage, I had those three PBU’s against him. Bryan is a very physical guy whos uses his size a lot. He is also deceivingly fast for a guy that big and he runs smooth.”
Polnasek (No. 28-ranked overall player; Class of 2020) had one other memorable one-on-one matchup this past season. It came against Glades Central’s Desna Washington, who stands at 6-foot-5 and finished as our No. 18 overall player (No. 4-ranked wide receiver) in Palm Beach County.
In what turned out to be an epic 21-20 comeback win at home for Park Vista in Week 9 of this past season, Polnasek locked down Washington for much of that game.
“It was an awesome team win,” Polnasek said about Park Vista’s victory over Glades Central. “Our defense was stepping up big all game. Me personally, Desna had a touchdown catch on me the first drive on a back shoulder, so I knew I had to step it up. And after that, I had an interception on him and held him to three catches all game. That boy is tall for sure (laughs). He’s physical, he uses his size well, and he moves fast for a guy who’s 6-5.”
Other than those two games, Polnasek’s senior season was a relatively quiet one for the most part. He recorded 36 solo tackles, five tackles for loss, eight pass breakups, and three interceptions.
“Many teams planned to run and throw away from my side,” said Polnasek, who earned the respect of his opponents in his breakout junior season.
Polnasek recapped his high school football experience at Park Vista.
“It was a great experience playing with my brothers,” Polnasek said. “A lot of those kids I’ve been playing with since little league. But it was a great senior year. We fell a little short of where we wanted to go, but it was very memorable.”
What can we specifically look forward to next from Polnasek at Keiser?
“Stay tuned,” Polnasek said. “The marathon continues.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Keiser Football and Shot by Dan
