Neighbors clash
The Portland and Westmoreland High football programs are in different places … in more ways than one.
The neighboring rivals be in same place tonight though and will have the same goal of winning in mind, opening the season with a clash at Eagle Stadium.
“If we show up and decide we want to play, I think it will be a real good ballgame,” Westmoreland head coach Steve Harris said.
Harris feels that the Eagles have been plagued by a lack of optimal effort during the preseason.
“We haven’t played with a lot of intensity so far,” Harris said. “I don’t know if this group is capable of playing with a lot of fire.
“Hopefully, we’ll be ready to go on Friday.”
Conversely, the Panthers have struggled at times but feel that they have made progress over the course of the preseason.
“With the kids trying to figure us out and the way we want things done, they’re starting to do that now,” Portland first-year head coach Greg Cavanah said. “We’ll go back to work and work on correcting the mistakes we’ve made. We have to do a lot more work on fundamentals and techniques.”
Cavanah’s program was winless a year ago, a season that began with a 7-0 loss to visiting Westmoreland. Neither team scored until Eagle tailback Darrin Akins had a touchdown run with 1:31 remaining.
The Panthers have faced Hillsboro, Pope John Paul II and Franklin-Simpson (Ky.) in preseason scrimmages.
“We made some progress the last two weeks,” Cavanah – who was an assistant coach (coaching blocking backs and inside linebackers) at Portland last season – said. “Our defense is playing a little bit better, and our offense is starting to jell better. We went up to Franklin and pulled out a 13-12 win. We had some kids who stepped up and played well. We are progressing slowly. If we continue to progress weekly, we’ll be in good shape.
“They (the players) were very excited. Franklin is supposed to cause some havoc in their division up in Kentucky. That should be a good stepping stone for us. The kids have really been focused in the last week.”
Portland senior placekicker Mason Denning made two field goals against Franklin-Simpson, including the game-winner.
“He’s a weapon,” Cavanah said. “We plan on using Mason.”
One of the few negatives for the Panthers was that senior quarterback Chris Greer suffered a concussion in the scrimmage, leaving his availability for the Westmoreland game in question.
Greer has been battling for the starting quarterback duties with junior Ethan Brummett.
However, Harris is more concerned about Portland’s rushing attack, behind an offensive line that will have considerable size advantage against the Eagles’ senior-laden defensive front. The Panther offensive front is expected to be led by senior tackle Tyler Trammel (6-foot-7, 290 pounds), junior tackle Charles Ring (6-3, 300), senior guard Roy Ray (6-0, 250) and senior tight end Drew Douglas (6-3, 240).
“We’re going to have to come up with a good defensive game plan to accommodate their size,” Harris said. “It’s going to be hard for us to stand in there and play a base defense. It’s a tough match-up from a size standpoint.
“From what I’ve seen, their running backs run really hard. It looks like they’re a pretty physical football team. Their overall size is very impressive.”
Other than the one quarter that its varsity unit played in last Friday’s Eagle Jamboree against Friendship Christian, Westmoreland hasn’t had any live action against an opposing team in more than two weeks. The Eagles scrimmaged Donelson Christian Academy and Wilson Central, contests that were played on Aug. 1 and Aug. 5, respectively.
“It’s not a big concern,” Harris said of the recent inactivity. “It’s given us time to prepare and work on some things.”
Westmoreland is coming off consecutive nine-win seasons and a second-round playoff appearances in each of those campaigns.
“Coach Harris has done a great job for the two or three years he’s been there, and the kids have responded,” Cavanah said. “The rumor out there is that it’s the best team they’ve had in years. It will be a struggle for us on Friday night.
“All I ask them to do is to play hard and make it a game at the end.”
The Eagles had four senior starters – quarterback Justice Graves, wingback/linebacker Brad Evans, center Mason Scruggs and defensive tackle Gage Rigney – for a variety of reasons last Friday, but all could be back in action against Portland.
The Panthers have won nine of the last 15 games against Westmoreland, winning three consecutive games against the Eagles (from 1994-96) prior to last season.
Westmoreland has won its last two season openers, while Portland has lost seven consecutive openers. The Panthers last victory to open the season was a 10-7 win at Greenwood (Ky.) in 2006, defeating a Gator program that had current Portland offensive coordinator Mark Nelson as the head coach and Cavanah as defensive coordinator.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Sports reporter Craig Harris can be contacted at 575-7138.