James Townsend
- Sep 25, 2021

Portland Football Defeats Charlotte and Improves to 5-0

Friday night was Military Appreciation night at Portland High School for the Raiders home CAAC White football matchup with Charlotte.

Both active-duty service men and women, as well as veterans, were honored before and during the game. Military personnel were given free admission to the game, and were treated to a free meal by Sweet Caroline’s BBQ.

The Portland team entered the game 4-0 overall, and 2-0 in the CAAC White. The Orioles of Charlotte came into the game 3-1 overall, and 1-1 in the CAAC White.

Portland would strike early in the contest. After passing for two first-downs, the Raiders reached the end zone on a 75-yard touchdown run by senior running back Reis Phillips with 9:14 remaining in the first. Senior kicker Madison Luxmore would connect on her extra point kick and the Raiders would jump to an early 7-0 lead.

The Raiders would strike again with 6:44 left in the first, this time on a 30-yard scoring run by junior running back Drew Miller. Luxmore’s point after was good and the Raiders would extend their lead to 14-0.

After the Raider defense forced a turn over on downs, the offense would waste little time in putting more points on the board. Portland third touchdown on the night came by air, when senior QB Haden Getchell would connect with senior running back Caden Galey on a 27-yard touchdown pass. Luxmore would then connect on her third extra point of the evening and the Raiders would lead the Orioles 21-0.

With 11:00 minuets left in the second quarter of play, Charlotte would find the end zone for the one and only time of the contest when Ashton Laguire scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Laguire would also connect on the point after and the score would move to Portland 21, Charlotte 7.

Portland would start their next offensive possession at their own 28 and 10:52 remaining in the second quarter. With 9:28 left on the clock, Getchell would take it to the endzone himself on a break away 64-yard touchdown run. Luxmore’s extra point pushed the score to 28-7.

The Red Raiders next score came with 5:57 remaining in the second quarter when Getchell connected with senior receiver Ethan Patrick on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Luxmore made good on the point after and Portland extended their lead to 35-7.

On their following possession, the Charlotte offense found some momentum and moved the ball into Portland territory. Portland’s Patrick put and end to that momentum when he intercepted a Charlotte pass near Portland’s own goal line and took it out to the 26 yard-line.

The teams would head to halftime with the score Portland 35, Charlotte 7.

Early in the third quarter of play, the Portland defense would smother the Oriole offense. Charlotte went for it on a fourth and long, and their quarterback was sacked by a Portland defender.

Portland would take over possession on their own 37 with 10:14 left in the third. A huge run by Miller would set Portland up at the Charlotte two-yard line. Miller himself would cap off the drive with 7:13 left in the third on a two-yard touchdown run. Luxmore would remain perfect on the night for extra points, and Portland would have a 42-7 lead.

After Charlotte turned the ball over on downs, Portland would reach the end zone for one last time in the contest. This time was on a 25-yard touchdown run by Miller with 1:23 remaining in the third. Luxmore’s point after sailed through the uprights and Portland extended their lead to 49-7

Neither team would score in the fourth quarter of play, and Portland would cap off a 49-7 win.

After the game, Portland coach John Novara said, “I thought we executed a ton better than we did last week. They did some stuff defensively to take Caden Galey away, he has been a great player for us, and our other kids stepped up and made plays. I think that is one of the big things about our team, you can’t really just key on one guy. We have a lot of guys that can hurt you. I was proud of the way they executed and how hard they played tonight.”

With the win, Portland improves to 5-0 overall, and 3-0 in the CAAC White. Their next contest will be Friday October 1st at Lansing Catholic at 7:00.

The Cougars of Lansing Catholic also come into the game with a 5-0 overall, and 3-0 in the CAAC White. They defeated Ionia 41-14 on Friday night.

When asked about the upcoming contest with Lansing Catholic, Novara said, “I am sure they won tonight, and that is what we both look forward to. This game will be a big game over at their place, one of the top games in the area, and our kids have to prepare and be ready to go.”

Scoring summary by quarter:

Portland 21 - 14 - 14 - 0 = 49

Charlotte 0 - 7 - 0 - 0 = 7

Portland rushing totals:

Caden Galey 7 for 17 yards

Reis Phillips 9 for 96 yards, 1 TD

Drew Miller 8 for 135 yards, 3 TD's

Haden Getchell 2 for 66 yards, 1 TD

Baron Seal 5 for 18 yards

Dustin Wolf 3 for 20 yards

John Dodson 3 for 10 yards

Portland passing totals: