The Portal Panthers notched their first region victory of the season Oct. 3 at home, coming back from a 14-0 deficit to knock off Savannah High, 21-14, in overtime.

After falling behind, 14-0, the Portal defense shut the Blue Jackets down the rest of the game, including a pair of fourth down stops. Plenty of players stepped up, but head coach Jason McEachin was really impressed by the play of senior defensive lineman Quan Coleman.

 “Quan had a great game (Oct. 3),” McEachin said. “He has been the best and most consistent defensive player all year. He is an extremely reliable young man who has high character and contributes positively to all areas of our program.”

 “So far this season I feel like I have been performing well,” Coleman said. “On the field I play a big part in stopping the run game and I try to be the leader on the defense. I feel like the team is playing well but we haven’t put all the pieces together for a full game yet.

“Our biggest strength is we fight till the end no matter what the score is. We also feel like we can make big plays any time on offense or defense.”