Many Portal football campaigns have been highlighted by a midseason rivalry win — sometimes as a big underdog — over cross-county rival ECI. Portal threw a few punches last week, but couldn't keep up with a high-powered Bulldog squad in a 41-14 defeat.
It was a familiar story for the Panthers (2-5), who have had strong starts this season that haven't lasted to the final whistle.
"ECI is a good team and they earned that win," Portal coach Jason McEachin said. "We didn't get it done, but there were chances. We had two drives we couldn't finish while the game was close.
"We keep telling our guys that the good plays are there on film to see. The challenge is to keep working until we can put four full quarters of those good plays together."
Now sitting at 2-5 on the season, many of the goals Portal set out at the beginning of the season may be out of reach. Even a state playoff berth will take a lot of wins and even more help from outside forces.
Portal is definitely in must-win mode now and has a good chance to get back on track as the Panthers host a winless Claxton squad on Friday.
Portal has scored plenty of points this season, but has had trouble stopping opponents. This week could come as a reprieve as the Tigers (0-8) have hit double-digits just twice this season.
Then again, records never tell the entire story.
"We definitely want a win this week," McEachin said. "But you can't take {Claxton's) record for granted. They're in a tough season, but they're similar to us. They've moved the ball against just about everyone, but haven't had the wins to show for it."
Adding to the challenge of another tough game is a very unorthodox week of practice.
With the fair in town and fall break closing the school, the routines that teams rely on are thrown into flux.
The Panthers are choosing to lean into the changeup of schedule.
"We've been having morning practices," McEachin said. "I think it's good to mix things up while everyone is still taking our preparation seriously. We're going to be ready on Friday night."
