Panthers face Jenkins County for Region 3-AII title at the PAC
The Portal Panthers have never won a region championship in football. In fact, they’ve only tied for first place in their region once before, and it came in 2006 when the seniors of this year’s squad were still in diapers.
In 2021, Portal coach Jason McEachin took over a struggling squad and there were no immediate results on the scoreboard as the Panthers recorded a second consecutive winless season. But Portal managed to put three in the win column in 2022 and - with wins in each of its first three Region 3-AII games this fall - currently sits at 6-3 with a showdown against Jenkins County (9-0, 3-0) Friday night at Portal to determine a region champ and a top seed in the state playoffs.
“All the credit goes to our kids and the work they’ve put in these last three seasons,” McEachin said. “We have turned corner after corner after corner. The commitment they’ve made is showing up in the results on the field and they’ve put themselves in a spot to play some big games.”
Senior standouts Elijah Colemand and Amir Jackson have been leading the way for years, which is also a pleasant change of pace for Portal football. The school has proven its athletic chops with plenty of great results on the track and basketball court over the years, but low participation numbers and continued losing often led to promising freshmen football players being pressed into early action and leaving the team after getting pushed around by more experienced competition.
The Panthers have found success in the present, but also appear to be building for even more in the future.
“We started the season with 50 on varsity and 50 on the middle school team,” McEachin said. “We still have more than 40 on both. Our coaches have recruited the hallways and found kids who can help us out.
“And our older guys have been great leaders. We told them that it matters more this year since there are younger kids watching them on the field and in the classroom, following their example. They’ve set the tone and shown everyone what it takes to work hard and earn success.”
If the Panthers want to bring home that first region crown, they’ve got some more work to do.
Jenkins County is also enjoying a season for the ages as the Eagles look to supply a friend for their one and only region championship trophy, won in 1960.
The Eagles have overpowered everyone in their path scoring at least 28 points in each game and averaging 41.7 points per game behind a bruising rushing attack spearheaded by Rob-travious Coney.
They’ll square off against a Portal defense that boasts four shutouts this season, setting up a battle of an irresistible force vs. an immovable object.
“We played a tough non-region schedule and made some mistakes that cost us games,” McEachin said. “But we learned from them and that has helped us. Jenkins County is a good team and they deserve that 9-0 record. I expect this to be a close game and our kids know what it’s going to take to come out on top.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Portal Athletic Complex. Both teams will host first round state playoff games Nov. 10.
Yellow Jackets must beat Burke County in Waynesboro
Football seasons are long, grueling and have an almost infinite number of bounces, breaks and unforeseen outcomes.
But with one game remaining on Southeast Bulloch’s regular season schedule, things have boiled down to a binary situation.
“If we win, we’ll be the 4-seed in the state playoffs,” SEB coach Jared Zito said. “If we lose, it’s time to turn in the equipment and look forward to next season.”
The Yellow Jackets (4-5, 1-3 Region 3-AAAA) make the short trip north to Waynesboro Friday night to take on Burke County (7-2, 2-2) in a literal win-or-go-home situation. Despite a considerable difference in overall records, if SEB can pull an upset over the Bears, they would finish with matching 2-3 region marks and the Jackets would advance to state via tiebreaker to claim the region’s final postseason slot.
Burke County is also up against the wall. The Bears will ride tiebreakers to a No. 3 state playoff seed with a win, but, like SEB, will turn out the lights on 2023 with a loss.
In a region featuring top-ranked Benedictine, as well as New Hampstead and Wayne County squads expected to make deep playoff runs, simply making the playoffs was always going to be a challenge.
“We knew this was on the table,” Zito said about newly aligned regions grouping so many powerful teams in with SEB. “But our guys have never backed down. We practice and play hard. We’re doing a better job of taking care of the ball. Maybe we’re a play or two away from staying in some games, but that’s what we keep working towards.”
To keep the season alive, the Jackets will have to overcome not only Burke County, but also injury and inexperience. Quarterback Will Nelson is out again and freshman Rhett Morgan will get the nod to lead his team into a must-win game.
"Regardless of what happens Friday, I'm proud of this team," Zito said. "The effort they play with is undeniable. This is a big game. We're just going to treat it like the playoffs are starting a week early for us."
