PORTAL — After a pair of tough losses, Portal is looking to get things headed back in the right direction tonight as it takes on Johnson County in both teams’ Region 3-A opener.
    Last week, the Panthers (1-2) suffered a second consecutive second half letdown as a 9-0 third quarter lead turned into an 18-9 defeat at Claxton. Tonight, they’ll try to bounce back against the Trojans (1-2).
    “Those losses are just something we have to put behind us,” said Portal coach David NeSmith. “They sting, but we can use them to learn and improve. I still believe that this is a team that can accomplish a lot.”
    Starting tonight, the stakes are higher as region play begins.
    The final six weeks of the regular season will be a sprint to the finish as the seven teams in the Western Division of Region 3-A all compete to be one of the top four in the standings — earning them a spot in the state playoff play-in round in the regular season’s final week.
    Last season, Portal came on strong late in the season after a slow start, but fell just short of a play-in birth. This time around, the Panthers are looking for a better start.
    “Sure, we would have liked to win all of our first three games,” said NeSmith. “But now is when it really starts to count. Our goal is to still be one of those teams in the hunt at the end of the season. The best way to do that is to start with a win against Johnson County.”
    While the Trojans are the defending region champions, they haven’t played the part in 2011.
    Johnson County was hit hard by the departure of seniors from last year’s squad and are still trying to get some new faces settled in.
    “They had a couple of guys leave who are off playing in college now,” said NeSmith. “That’s tough to deal with, but Johnson County still has plenty of talent. This will be a tough game.”
    Portal will have some more options to go to this week as the Panthers enter tonight healthier than they have been in the last two games.
    Tre Williams will return to the Portal offensive backfield and Isaiah Rich will be back in action, manning his post at defensive end.
    Corey Walker took the reigns at quarterback when Hunter Oglesby was lost for the season in Portal’s first game, but will now move back to running back as freshman Evan Street will get the start under center.
    “Getting people healthy is always good,” said NeSmith. “With us being low on numbers, it’s even bigger. We have a bunch of guys playing both ways, so getting three guys back is really like getting six players back.”
    Portal will be trying to notch just its third win over Johnson County in 13 tries.
    The Trojans have won the last six meetings with the Panthers, including a first round playoff victory in 2006 — the last time Portal reached the postseason.

    Mike Anthony can be reached at (912) 489-9404.