The Portal Panthers are coming off a disappointing 40-7 season opening loss to Wheeler County in the Erk Russell Classic Saturday night.

Head coach Jason McEachin felt despite the loss there were a few encouraging things he saw moving forward, including the effort put forth by those who played Saturday with many getting their first starts.

“There were some things we did well, and obviously a lot of things we have to fix,” McEachin said. “A lot of kids were starting under the lights for the first time and we were proud of that and we're going to try to build on that. We will show them the film, and how we can improve and try to get that done as quickly as possible.”

Among the bright spots McEachin was proud of the poise shown by sophomore quarterback Omod Thomas who was starting his first game under center in a varsity contest.

“For his first start in that situation I thought he did some very nice things that allow me to have a little more confidence in him going forward,” McEachin said. “We were trying to lean on the run game as long as possible just for the sake of him and trying to help the defense. Now I know I can trust him to make good decisions with the football. He's a savvy kid and going forward maybe we can work the passing game in on a little more regular basis.”

Friday the Panthers open up at home as they host Bryan County. The visitors won last year in a shootout 42-35 but are coming off a lopsided 36-7 loss to Treutlen County Friday night.

“I feel like our teams are very similar right now,” McEachin said. “They have a lot of guys starting for the first time. They're inconsistent, like us on offense, and just guys are just getting settled in. You have very similar looking teams right now and they're trying to improve quickly. I know Coach Cherard Freeman and his staff and they'll get better every week. We are going to have to cut down on the penalties and turnovers to have a chance.”

Portal and Bryan County are scheduled for a 7:30 start Friday at the Portal Athletic Complex.