The Portal Panthers are taking it one step at a time after a 34-19 week two loss to Treutlen County.
    The Panthers held their own for three quarter, however, the game slipped away in the fourth quarter as the Vikings pushed its record to 2-0 on the season.
    For interim head coach Matt Smith, he said his team improved in all facets of the game against the Vikings. The Panthers started the season with an 18-7 loss to Josey, but Portal bounced back in week two.
    “For the most part, we played really well,” Smith said Thursday morning. “We improved in all areas. We outgained them in two quarters on offense. We just have to keep working hard in practice and continue to push ourselves.”
    The Panthers were within striking distance late against Treutlen down 21-13, however, coach Smith said his team simply “ran out of gas.”
    “They proceeded to march down the field on a 10-play 70-yard drive,” Smith said. “We were just worn out. We have players playing both ways and we’re facing a team that has more depth than us.”
    Against Emanuel County Institute, the Panthers will have to be on their toes. The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant 41-10 victory against Metter last Friday.  
    Smith said ECI has a big defensive front, making it difficult for the Panthers to run up the middle. Smith said some sweep tosses or runs to the outside my help his team’s run game.
    “We’re going to have to go outside to do what we want to do. What usually works for us right now is running on sweeps and plays up the middle,” Smith said. “it’s going to be a test on offense.”
    The running back tandem of Darius Huff and Malik Williams could give the Panthers some support in the ground game. Currently, Huff has rushed for 135 yards with three touchdowns and Williams is averaging 8.6 yards per carry.
    Defensively, the Panthers have a tough task ahead of them. Junior running back Ricky Lee powers the Bulldogs’ run game. Lee ran for three touchdowns and over 200 yards in a close loss to Swainsboro.
“We have to be mentally tough,” Smith said. “We have to be able to stick it out and keep playing. They’re big, physical and they run right at you. It’s generally the kind of matchup we don’t perform well against.”

What to Watch For
    Portal — as usual — has a small roster. With so many players going both ways, stamina will be key.
    The Panthers' defensive front is one unit that will absolutely have to be on notice. ECI's Ricky Lee is a powerful runner that could break a long run at a moment's notice.
    Running up against a solid opponent and a rival that has won three consecutive games in the series, Portal will have to limit its mistakes and maximize on every opportunity if it wants to clinch its first win.

    Horace Holloman may be reached at (912) 489-9408.