HARTSVILLE Portland High’s football team saw a lot of familiar faces on Tuesday afternoon.
Portland High senior Emmanuel Johnson leaps to catch a pass against Macon County during Trousdale County’s 7-on-7 workouts on Tuesday afternoon.
The Panthers took part in Trousdale County’s 7-on-7 workouts with five other teams – including one they’ll see on their regular season schedule.
Portland faced Cannon County, Trousdale County, former District 9-AAA foes Beech and Station Camp, and current Region 5-4A rival Macon County during the afternoon session.
Senior Austin Hardy made his presence known against Station Camp, intercepting a pass on the first Bison series, while classmate Emmanuel Johnson pulled in a couple of tough passes on the offensive side against Macon County.
Station Camp’s Tyler Thompson eager to get back under center
“When we played well, we were catching the ball at first contact,” Portland head coach Greg Cavanah said. “We were looking it in.”
Portland returns eight starters on the defensive side from last year’s squad, so it would stand to reason that improvement is in the cards. But Cavanah said there were some hiccups in coverage at times on Tuesday.
“We had a lot of busted coverages,” Cavanah said. “We hadn’t done that the last two days we’ve done passing league.”
Portland High senior Logan Jernigan hauls in a pass during Trousdale County’s 7-on-7 workouts on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior Brandon Meador and freshman Blake Curtis took turns at quarterback, and Cavanah noted that both had some good passes – and those that left something to be desired.
“We’re still throwing the ball low sometimes, throwing it high sometimes and throwing it behind (receivers) sometimes,” Cavanah said. “So, we’ve got to get that situated.”
Beech putting defensive pieces together
Green Wave football awakens from dead period
Portland does not have an early practice session when full-pad practices begin on Monday, instead opting to workout in the late afternoon.
The Panthers travel to Hillsboro for their first scrimmage on July 29, and open the regular season at Franklin-Simpson (Ky.) on Aug. 19.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.
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