Football returned Friday – ECI 38, Portal 3

After two weeks of inaction, at least on the football field, the Bulldogs and fans were ready for some much-needed distraction from the impact of Hurricane Helene. The Bulldogs rewarded their fans as they packed the stadium in Portal, watching their team defeat the Panthers 38-3.

“We were glad to be playing football again Friday night in Portal,” commented head coach Chris Kearson. “With everything that has happened within the last two weeks, football was a good thing. We didn’t play perfect, but we played good enough to get the win. Our kids played hard but having that many days off definitely took a toll on our team. They never wavered and did all that was asked of them to get to practice and get prepared, so all things considered, it was a good night.”

The Bulldogs’ offense moved the ball well on the Panthers, scoring a touchdown in every quarter. The stingy defense, ranked 10th in the state in points allowed in Class A Division II, held Portal to just a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter. After forcing a punt try after forcing a three and out on the Panthers opening drive, the Bulldog special teams got the offense the ball deep in Portal territory. It didn’t take long for the rout to begin. Ab Marsh scored on the first play to put the Bulldogs up 6-0. After the first quarter Portal field goal, the Bulldogs put their second score on the board. Chase Johnson found a gaping hole off tackle to put the Bulldogs up 14-3. The Bulldogs defense stopped the next Portal drive when Ab Marsh intercepted the Panther pass to put the offense back in business. Marsh added to the Bulldog lead on a perfectly run reverse from 26 yards out to make the score 20-3. Tyler Foreman scored the first touchdown of the third quarter after a 75-yard time consuming drive. Oisin Matthews booted a 38-yard field goal on the second possession and Tuff Boddiford ended the Bulldog scoring on a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth for a 38-3 win. The Bulldogs rushed for 296 yards with another 69 through the air for 365 yards of offense. Tyler Foreman led the pack of nine Bulldogs rushers with 100 yards. Ab Marsh with two touchdowns had 76 yards and Chase Johnson was close behind with 58 yards. Jackson Kennedy was three for six for 69 yards with Daon Bethea leading the receivers with two catches for 62 yards.

The Bulldogs are off this Friday during fall break. They will return to action on Tuesday, October 22, for a make-up game against Savannah High School and again three days later on Friday, October 25, against Claxton. Both games are at home in Rountree Stadium.

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