Whitehall knew Portland was among the most effective rushing teams in the state heading into Friday's matchup, but the Red Raiders turned the tables on their hosts by breaking out big plays through the air, defeating the Vikings 35-7.
Whitehall (5-4) defended the run fairly well, allowing 4.2 yards per carry, but Portland had three first-half touchdown passes to build a 21-0 lead the Vikings were unable to erase.
"Other than that, I thought we did a really good job and our kids played their hearts out as far as run defense," Whitehall coach Tony Sigmon said. "They've been able to run the ball at will during the season. I thought our scheme was pretty good when it came to run defense. We got caught peeking in the backfield on a few pass plays and that was the difference in the game."
Portland converted two third-and-longs through the air on its first drive to go ahead 7-0, then unleashed a 65-yard score on its second, again on third-and-long. That put the Vikings in a big hole. Whitehall got into Red Raiders territory each of its first two drives, but was stopped on fourth down both times.
"We had our chances on offense," Sigmon said. "We just had a couple plays that were difference-makers on the drives. The things that have been our Achilles heel, that frustrated us, kind of showed up."
Whitehall did get on the board in the third quarter when Cole Essebaggers hit Corde Anderson for a 32-yard score on fourth-and-13, but Portland responded with another score to make it 28-7, snuffing out the momentum.
Whitehall's Corde Anderson (10) and Hunter Osborne celebrate Anderson's touchdown catch during Friday's game against Portland. The Vikings lost, 35-7.
Christopher Verhulst/Courtesy Photo
Essebaggers had a good night statistically, throwing for 120 yards and running for 74 on a night Portland was able to slow down the other Viking rushers. Anderson had 85 yards receiving. Hunter Peterson was everywhere on defense, making 14 tackles, and Anderson had nine. Hunter Osborne picked off a pass.
The playoff destination for Whitehall won't be known until Sunday, but Sigmon knows his team will be among the more battle-tested groups in the state, with its clashes against Ludington, Unity Christian, Portland and Zeeland West getting the team ready for the rigors of Division 5.
"I'm proud of our kids," Sigmon said. "We've played a gauntlet...Collectively, we're pretty healthy. No one is really healthy after nine weeks of football, but we're certainly healthier than we were at this time last year. We're 0-0 now just like all the other teams. We just have to lock in and get ready for week 10 football."
