Last year the Portal vs. Jenkins County game was the regular season finale and a battle for the region title. Friday night the two teams open up region play in Portal, but there could potentially still be a lot on the line.
Portal is coming off a 34-20 victory over Twiggs Academy. After a lackluster start the Panthers pulled away from the Cobras scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half. Head coach Jason McEachin is hoping to see the team play the way they did in the second half for the entire 48 minutes this Friday.
“We didn’t provide the kind of energy we needed to start the game last Friday at Twiggs,” McEachin said. “Our game-play speed was much better in the second half and I hope that carries over into this week. We executed, and were firing on all cylinders in the second half. On defense we were rallying to tackles and did a good job of stopping the run.”
Jenkins County has size on both sides of the ball and are led by junior quarterback Justin Wright and senior fullback Kendrick Thomas. They have beaten Glascock County 42-8 and lost to Lincoln County 31-3. They were off last week and come in rested to play the Panthers.
“Coach Charley Waters and his staff always come ready to play,” McEachin said. "They have a powerful run game, but can throw if they have to in order to keep you honest. They run the flex-bone which we saw in week one against Bulloch Academy, so at least we know fundamentally what to expect. They have some big offensive linemen and rotate in a lot of talented backs. Defensively they try and stop the run and force you to throw, which we have tried to work on to prepare for them.”
Last year’s epic battle between the Panthers and the Eagles wasn’t decided until overtime as the Panthers came back for a 36-34 victory to claim the school’s first region football title. McEachin feels the two teams’ line up pretty equally again this season and is expecting another close game.
“I see this one being similar in the fact that whoever can avoid turnovers and make the plays down the stretch will come out on top,” McEachin said. “The game will be here again and I expect a huge crowd once again.”
Portal has plenty of players on this year’s squad who were involved in last year’s victory and McEachin thinks that will be a benefit for his team.
“That performance in a big game last year put the belief in the player’s minds that they can accomplish anything,” McEachin said. “In the past it was a one-point or two-point game that we lost, so winning that one did a lot for our mentality going forward. These guys were either on the field or watching and know what it takes to win a tight region game, which I expect to have again Friday.”
Portal and Jenkins County are scheduled for a 7:30 kickoff at the Portal Athletic Complex.
