As the season comes to an end for the Portal Panthers, things haven't gone quite as planned.

Two years removed from a region championship and a state playoff victory, there were hopes to keep playing into November, but the Panthers (3-6) won't be a part of the postseason and will wind out the schedule Friday night against McIntosh County Academy.

Maybe it isn't a storybook ending, but for the Panthers who will be suiting up for the final time, there is still plenty to look back and be proud of.

"This is going to be one of the top four classes in terms of total wins in the history of Portal," Panther coach Jason McEachin said. "We're proud of what our seniors have done and what they've built for the future. At practice this week, you can tell they're soaking it in. We've made it a point to single out a few each day to talk about what all they've done and how they've grown."

The Panther seniors will get one more game in front of the home crowd, but won't be able to soak up too much of the atmosphere as its opponent is dead set on getting another win.

The visiting Buccaneers (5-4) are right in the middle of the Class A state playoff picture and a win to close out the regular season would go a long way towards a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason.

"I'm pretty familiar with what (MCA coach Bradley Warren) likes to run," McEachin said. "They're a solid team build around a very fast and athletic defense."

McEachin continued that he has kept stressing the importance of his team putting together a full four quarters of quality play. In games like the season opener against Bulloch Academy and last week against an undefeated Screven County squad, the Panthers held their own early, only to see turnovers and other missed opportunities take them out of contention for a win.

"This will be one more chance for us to put it all together," McEachin said. "We want to celebrate our seniors and send them out on a high note. At the same time, we have young guys starting on both sides of the ball who need to keep growing and set the tone for the future."