The Portal Panthers had a long road trip to get to Darien, Georgia for their Friday night matchup with the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers. The Bucs defeated the Panthers 40-0.
First Quarter: The Bucs strike first
Portal received the ball first and looked to establsh the run game early with a couple of handoffs to Jaylon Strickland. The drive was doomed after a run that lost yards and a penalty had the Panthers facing 3rd and 18. On McIntosh County's first play from scrimmage, Greg Peacock was able to bounce a run to the outside and gain 19 yards to the Panthers' 31-yard line. The Bucs would cap off their opening drive with a 29-yard strike from Nehemiah West to Craig Battle to score the first points of the game.
Second Quarter: McIntosh takes advantage of Portal's miscues
The first drvie of the second period saw the Buccaneers once again use the run game to get down the the field. A quarterback designed run for West got McIntosh County back within striking distance of scoring. The very next play, West dropped back to pass and danced around the pocket, evading the oncoming Portal defenders. He found Battle on the sideline at the 35-yard line who was able to make a man on his way to his second touchdown of the first half.
The Panthers were able to make their way down the field late in the second quarter. Portal used the run game to pound the McIntosh County defense. They taking it play by play using short runs to walk towards the endzone. Being down by 13, a score would be crucial in staying in the ball game. On the final play of the first half, thhe Panthers coughed the ball up and McIntosh's Derrick Irons was able to scoop it up and take it back to the house.
Unforced errors continue to plague the Portal Panthers as they gave up a 14-point swing just before the half.
Third Quarter: The Bucs keep rolling
The opening drive of the half saw the Buccaneers add to their lead when Peacock took a handoff 20 yards to the endzone. The Bucs would score again later in the half on the ground with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to make the score 24-0.. The run was set up by a big play that saw Andrew Roberson break away from two defenders to make a grab at midfield and race down to the 2.
Fourth Quarter: The Finishing Touches
McIntosh County closed the game with a long rushing touchdown by Lorinzo Reed. This would make the score 40-0 and be the final points of the game.
The Panthers fall to 3-6 on the season. They are currently on a 2-game losing streak and have lost 4 of their last 5.
Up Next:
The Panthers will look to finish off the regular season with a W as they host the Savannah Blue Jackets at Portal Athletic Complex. The game is set to kick off at 6:00pm.