Porter carries Stars to first playoff berth

DeVonn Porter only wanted to praise his offensive linemen, who opened gaping holes for the Agassi Prep running back time and again.

But it was Porter who drew a standing ovation as he left the field in the fourth quarter Friday night, and the senior earned every bit of the applause.

Porter rushed for 228 yards and six touchdowns on 25 carries as the Stars turned a Class 2A Southern League showdown into a laugher with a 62-34 victory at The Meadows.

Agassi Prep (5-1, 5-0) took sole possession of first place in the league while clinching its first 2A postseason berth in program history.

 

“We’ve never had a win like this before,” Porter said. “If we had won by two points, it would have felt good.”

The Stars handed the Mustangs (4-3, 4-1) their first league loss since 2008, snapping their 14-game league winning streak in the process.

Porter made sure there would be no suspense with touchdown runs of 22, 14, 2 and 24 yards as Agassi Prep built a 40-20 halftime lead. He added TD runs of 3 and 51 yards in the second half.

Porter gashed The Meadows’ defense nine times for runs of 10 yards or more.

“We’ve been keeping (Porter) down to 10, 15 carries, but in a game like this, I think he had to carry it at least 20 times,” Agassi Prep coach Colt Goodman said. “He had to win the game for us. If he doesn’t run like that, we’re not going to beat a team like this.”

Porter wasn’t the only player involved in the Stars’ rushing attack, which rolled up 387 yards.

Agassi Prep’s Tank Carter carried the ball 15 times for 83 yards, including a 13-yard TD run.

“Our line made the holes, and (receiver) Curtis Watson was blocking downfield,” Porter said. “I just had so much room to run. Adrian Huling and Jamal Holmes, they made beautiful holes.”

Garrett Gosse’s 1-yard touchdown plunge pulled The Meadows to within 48-34 with 10:39 remaining.

But on the next play from scrimmage, Porter burst through a huge hole on the right side of the offensive line and scampered down the sideline for a 51-yard touchdown run that helped the Stars pull away.

Gosse completed 17 of 42 passes for 319 yards and three TDs on top of a pair of 1-yard scores to lead The Meadows.

The junior hooked up with Austin Brown four times for 125 yards and two TDs, and found Max Newman six times for 82 yards and another score.

LeShaun Sims and Terrell Kemp each picked off one of Gosse’s passes to lead Agassi Prep’s defense.

Goodman, who called the win the biggest in program history, has watched his team go from 1-7 in 2008 to 3-5 last season to alone in first place on Friday night.

“We’ve worked so hard to bring this program to a level where we can compete with The Meadows,” he said. “We’re just ecstatic.”