The Portal Panthers are ready to erase the memory of last year’s 3-7 finish by earning a much-needed win over Josey High School tonight.
    The two teams met for the first time in school history last season with the Panthers coming out on top 18-12. First year interim head coach Matt Smith said he worked all week on his team’s fundamentals.
    The newly appointed head coach said the game against the Eagles will be a tough, competitive matchup.
    “They are a good team and they are good, fast and athletic,” Smith said. “But we have a good team as well and we’re fast. We’re going to try and use our speed to our advantage.”
    The Panthers will start the year with three straight games on the road. The team’s first home game will be Sept. 25 against Johnson County.
    A win against Josey would give the Panthers a momentum boost moving forward in the season. Here’s a few keys to the game as the Eagles and Portal Panthers will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Eagle’s Nest stadium.
    Ground attack important:
    Coach Smith said he wants his running backs and athletes on offense to get into open space on the field, instead of running between the tackles. Smith said if the Panthers can utilize its skill players, the team will have a shot at coming out on top.
    “We want to be out on the edge where our guys can be athletes,” Smith said.
    Quarterback Darius Huff and running back Malik Williams, both seniors, are expected to carry the load on offense, Smith said.
    The duo has the potential to get the Panthers some big yardage on the ground.
    “They are our two seniors and they are the catalyst of the offense,” Smith said.
    Pressure the Quarterback:
    The Panthers main focus on defense coming into tonight’s game will be getting pressure on senior quarterback Nate Foreman. The Eagles like to run multiple formations on offense and like to throw the ball.
    Smith said the key will be getting pressure on the quarterback to help out the Panthers’ secondary.
    “They like to throw the ball and they like to throw the ball all over the field. It’s going to be a huge task for our defense, especially our secondary,” Smith said. “Up front we need to get pressure. (Foreman) is a very good athlete and he can make broken plays into big plays. We want to try to get them uncomfortably.”
    Smith said senior defensive end Zac White needs to have a big game in order for the Panthers to have a chance. If White can pressure Foreman on the edge, Portal’s odds of winning greatly increase.
    “He needs to have a big game for us,” Smith said. “If he has a good game we should be fine up front. He has all the tools in the world. He’s a perfect defensive end.”
    Changing it up on D:
    This year’s defense for the Panthers will have a slightly different look. Portal will switch from a 4-4 defense to a 4-3 defense.
    Smith said the change will allow his unit to mix up coverage and be able to compete against teams that like to air the ball out on offense.
    “The trickle down effect from college is finally getting into single-A where you see a lot of spread offenses,” said Smith, laughing. “The days of let’s lineup and bang heads are long gone. ECI does it and Southeast Bulloch still does it, but other than that they’re not around much anymore.”