Just over two weeks ago, the Portal Panthers were regrouping, trying to bounce back from a season-opening loss where a rough third quarter saw things get away from them quickly.
Portal appears to be full of fast learners as last week’s home opener brought about a runaway 42-20 victory over Twiggs County where the Panthers jumped ahead early and never looked back.
“Obviously, it’s great to get that win under our belt,” Portal coach Jason McEachin said. “It sets a new tone, coming into a week off a win instead of a loss. Now we want to keep building. We don’t get negative about spots where we still need to improve, but we stress that every game, every play is a battle. Just how you don’t want one bad play to turn into two during a rough game, you don’t want to get too comfy after making some plays.”
Comfort aside, the Panthers kept one thing consistent from their first game to their second - fireworks.
A few highlight plays weren’t enough in their opener, but the huge chunks of yardage kept coming - and were complimented by a defense that created big plays and turnovers of its own - as the Panthers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
Gideon Fulcher delivered a perfect deep ball to Samarion McBride for a 39-yard strike to open the offense. Brian McQueen scored on a 38-yard reverse run and a 58-yard dash by fullback K.J. Hunter set up another touchdown. McQueen weaved through the Twiggs defense for a 49-yard touchdown reception off a screen pass to open the second half and Portal was able to kick it into cruise control from there.
Five different Panthers have already recorded on offensive gain of at least 40 yards on the season.
Film study was likely much livelier this week, but there’s little time to regroup as the region schedule and a familiar foe are coming up fast.
On Friday, Portal makes the short trip up to Millen for a showdown with a Jenkins County squad in a rematch of the 2023 region championship game Portal won.
“It’s definitely an exciting week,” McEachin said. “These kids have played each other a bunch. There are friends and even some family on both sides.
“That makes for a great game, but you also have to stay in control. We want guys to play with emotion, but not get emotional in the middle of a tough game.”
Jenkins County enters with a 1-1 record of its own. The Eagles romped over Glascock County in their opener before falling to Lincoln County two weeks ago.
The Eagles and Panthers featured similar option attacks when vying for the region two years ago. And while both squads still lean on the run, Jenkins County continues to pound the ball with multiple formations while Portal keeps its schemes a bit more simple, but with the added threat of the pass this season.
All eight games remaining for both squads will be region tilts, and both are ready for the temperature to turn all the way up on Friday.
"I think our team has some older guys who know what it takes to win region games and go for the playoffs," McEachin said. "This is a long and tough region schedule. We want to take care of business at home, but we have to win some on the road, and getting one early can be a big help."
