Summer blockbuster season may be over in theaters, but Portal’s suspense-thriller of a season continues to roll along and receive two thumbs up from those in attendance.
Last week brought about yet another back-and-forth game that saw the Panthers prevail in the final minutes. Portal headed to Claxton where the teams pitted matching 5-1 records against each other in a Region 3-A clash to set the tone for the final weeks of the regular season.
A defensive struggle dominated play and regulation time wasn’t enough. As has been the case several times already this season, the Portal defense was able to make a decisive stand, making one final stop to clinch a 26-20 victory.
“That was a great game and we fully expected the competition we got from Claxton,” Portal coach Jason McEachin said. “That’s a really good team and it took a lot to come out on top. I think it helped that we’ve been in a lot of those spots already. It was a close game with a lot of pressure, and none of our guys blinked.”
Portal has left most of this season’s games to definitive plays, keeping everyone on edge.
The Panthers had already finished off previous wins with key interceptions or fumble recoveries, and finally got past Claxton with a fourth down pass breakup to make its own overtime score stand up for the winning margin.
Aside from the thrill of another win, last week’s triumph also put Portal in the driver’s seat of its region as playoff scenarios begin to take shape.
“You can’t hide it,” McEachin said. “As much as we have our own message, the information is out there. Anyone knows where we stand right now. We address that with the guys. We know where we stack up in all the rankings each week, but we also know what we’re focusing on for this week.”
That’s a solid plan for the Panthers as the road doesn’t get much easier. On Friday, an upstart Montgomery County team comes to town.
The Eagles (4-2) are in their first season under new head coach Gabe Gay and have already matched their win total from the last few years.
Much like last week, Portal figures to be in for another ground battle as the Panthers’ option attack clashes with a diverse Montgomery ground game.
“They have a couple of guys already over 500 yards rushing for the season,” McEachin said. “They have a lot of athleticism and size on both sides of the ball and they do a good job of spreading things around and making it hard to key on one thing to attack.
“We’re going to lean on our experience again. We keep asking our team to step up to the challenge, and they keep doing it. That’s building the confidence that we continue to look to in these tough games.”
McEachin was also quick to acknowledge the sway that the Portal faithful have played throughout the season. On Friday, youth athletes from the area will get a chance for some first-hand experience with the game night atmosphere as players and cheerleaders from the recreational leagues will join the Panthers in their run onto the field before kickoff.
Gametime is set for 730 p.m. at the Portal Athletic Complex.
