Portageville falls short in district championship

MARIONVILLE, Mo. — Portageville’s aspirations of capturing the MSHSAA Class 1, District 1 Championship were extinguished on Saturday afternoon, succumbing to a resilient Marionville squad in a closely contested 17-14 battle.

“[Marionville] is an excellent team,” said Portageville coach Ian Penrod. “They were really big and played fundamental football. They are just really solid on defense and presented some issues. They were one of the first teams that was able to stymie our heavy package, and that was because of their size and how fundamental they played.”

The Comets (12-0) seized a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter after quarterback Bryer Guerin found Cash Pomeroy for a touchdown. The Bulldogs (10-2) muffed the ensuing kickoff, handing Marionville prime field position around the 25-yard line. 

The Comets capitalized on the error, scampering into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run by 

Guerin, and extended the lead to 14-0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter. 

Portageville responded with a determined 15-play, 60-yard drive, punctuated by a 5-yard touchdown run by Jamarion Smith, to narrow the deficit to 14-6 midway through the second quarter.

Marionville stretched their advantage to 17-6 with a 24-yard field goal with just over 11 minutes left on the clock. Undeterred, Portageville countered with a 5-yard touchdown run by Mason Adams, narrowing the gap to 17-14 with 8:55 remaining.

“Our kids played their hearts out,” Penrod said. “They played as hard as humanly possible, but either we had crayons and no coloring book or we had a coloring book and no crayons.”

Marionville held on to their lead in the second half, controlling the clock and limiting Portageville’s opportunities. Despite this, the Bulldogs mounted a late-game drive, reaching the 1st-and-goal position with just over a minute remaining. However, Marionville’s defense stood tall, thwarting Portageville’s last-ditch effort and securing the hard-fought victory.

Smith led the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 73 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while Adams added 40 yards and a touchdown on 20 rushes. Adams also completed 9-of-12 pass attempts for 106 yards and an interception, while Beau-Hunter Warren paced the receiving corps with five catches for 76 yards.

Marionville will host St. Vincent (9-3) in the Class 1 semifinal on Saturday, November 25 at 1 p.m.

The Portageville seniors may have ended their careers on a bittersweet note, but their contributions to the program will be remembered for years to come. This group of players has shown incredible heart and determination, and they should be proud of everything they have accomplished.

“These are the guys who helped get everything changed with Portageville football,” Penrod said. “Every senior class I’ve had at Portageville has left the program in better shape than they found it, but this group has been a part of that every year. They are a huge part of us getting things flipped and getting things going in the right direction. I’ll always remember them for that.”