The Portal Panthers are trying to make a late push into the state playoffs. 

Helping to pace the Panthers is senior Samari McBride. Against Claxton on Oct. 18, he tallied nearly 100 yards of offense, including rushing for three touchdowns. On defense, he added seven total tackles, including a sack, a hit for a loss and forced a fumble.

“(That was) Samari’s best overall game of the season,” said coach Jason McEachin. “We started the season with him at receiver, but felt he is just too good of an athlete to not get the ball more so we have started using him at running back.

“He is a big, strong kid and he came through with three scores Friday. He has also been playing well on defense and was disruptive in their backfield Friday.”

 “I feel like we are making good progress right now,” McBride said. “We have continued to improve. As an individual, I am still trying to improve on my perimeter blocking and my footwork as a running back. As a senior, I feel like I need to be a motivator for my team. I want to show my younger teammates how to play with excitement.”