The Trojans tame the Dragons in first round upset
By: Donovan Varney
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PROCTORVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Fairland Dragons welcomed the Portsmouth Trojans into Jim Mayo Memorial Stadium for this OVC playoff matchup. These two teams last faced off in week eight of the regular season, with Fairland winning 43-27.
The Trojans came into this one as underdogs and were seeking revenge. To get things going, Fairland drove down the field on the back of their star quarterback, Peyton Jackson. Jackson connected with wide receiver Christian Collins to get inside the red zone, but the Portsmouth defense was able to stop the charge. The Dragons had to settle for a field goal and got on the board first.
The next drive Portsmouth responded by cultivating a long drive to keep the Fairland offense off the field. Some big runs from running back Chase Heiland put the Trojans in scoring position, and quarterback Camron Williams handled the rest. Williams kept the ball on a quarterback sweep and ran it 18 yards into the end zone. Portsmouth claimed a 7-3 lead.
The Jackson and Williams connection continued on the Dragons next drive with a slant that he took for their first trip to the end zone. Fairland up 10-7 after reclaiming the lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Portsmouth offense came out hot in the second quarter but were held to a field goal after a strong defensive stand from the Dragons. The Trojan field goal tied things up at 10.
Later in the quarter, Jackson made something out of nothing after heaving up a 26-yard dot to Quentin Cremeans who was wide open in the end zone for six. Fairland back on top now, 17-10.
Heiland and the Portsmouth offense ran the ball down the field and kept their drive alive after a huge fourth and six conversion inside the red zone. Heiland finished the drive off with a rushing touchdown, and Williams surprised the Dragon’s defense with a two-point conversion. The Trojans took an 18-17 lead with little time left in the half.
Having seconds left didn’t mean much to Christian Collins. He took the kickoff through the Portsmouth special teams unit and all the way into the endzone to give them a 25-18 lead going into half.
This game stayed neck to neck throughout the second half, with Portsmouth ultimately sealing the deal 50-38, in a huge first round upset.
The Trojans will travel to Wheelersburg to take on the SOC champs in the regional quarterfinals next week.