Porterville beats North 13-6
Panthers begin Thompson era with win
After a 635 day layoff, the Keith Thompson era finally got underway for the Porterville High football program as the Panthers took on North High School Friday night from Jacob Rankin Stadium in a week 0 contest.
The last time the Panthers suited up they lost a heartbreaker in the Division IV CIF semifinal game, falling 27-23 to Washington Union. That was under now Mission Oak head coach Mike Machado. Thompson’s debut ended on a better note as the Panthers walked away with a hard fought 13-6 victory.
Isaiah Ellis started things off right for PHS, taking the opening kickoff 73 yards down to the North 19 yard line. Lisandro Martinez capped off a 4 play drive with a 12 yard TD run. Alexis Suarez added the PAT to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead they would never relinquish.
After a North 3 and out the Panthers offense got runs of 6 and 48 yards from Ellis to move the ball down inside the North 10, but Ellis would suffer a lower leg injury on the 48 yard run and wouldn’t return. The drive ended on a missed 22 yard field goal.
After PHS squandered a couple of scoring chances due to dropped passes and an illegal man downfield penalty on a long
pass play, North would get their first score of the night due to a Panther shanked punt which was caught by the Stars Andrew Jefferson who took it 34 yards to the house. North however would miss the extra point chance and still trailed 7-6 with 2:05 left in the first half.
It wouldn’t take the Panthers long to capitalize. After Martinez returned the kickoff to the Panther 45, PHS QB Kayden Boosalis would find tight end Jacob Gonzalez all by himself down the right sideline for a 55 yard TD strike. North blocked the PAT to keep it a 7 point game at 13-6.
Two plays into North’s next possession, Stars QB Carson Bennett was intercepted by the Panthers Alex Chavez who would return it to the North 17 with 1:30 left in the half. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty took the Panthers out of scoring position and PHS took a 13-7 lead into the halftime locker room.
It was a defensive battle from there on out as PHS struggled to move the ball without Ellis. After a PHS fumble with 4:18 left in the game gave North the ball at its own 48, the PHS defense rose to the occasion again, stopping North on a 4th and 10 from the PHS 21 to seal the victory.
The PHS defense held North to only 99 yards of total offense, 28 in the first half.
PHS gained 242 yards on the night with 202 of those coming in the first half. Ellis led PHS with 54 yards on only 2 carries. Boosalis played well in his first varsity start, completing 6 of 12 passes for 99 yards and a TD.
The Panthers will take on Roosevelt next Friday in Fresno.
Scoring
1st Quarter Lisandro Martnez 12 yard run (Alexis Suarez PAT) 7-0 2nd Quarter Andrew Jefferson 34 yard punt return (PAT Failed) 7-6
Kayden Boosalis 55 yard pass to Jacob Gonzales (PAT Failed) 13-6