KALAMAZOO, MI – With the game on the line and the clock dwindling, one half yard was all that separated Portage Central from sealing the deal. So, Rylan McNally put his head down and called his own number. And the junior called game.
McNally provided Portage Central’s heroics on Friday, muscling his way in for the game-winning, half-yard quarterback sneak score that vaulted the Mustangs to a thrilling 21-14 victory over Kalamazoo Central. Portage Central (4-2) has now won four consecutive games. It was a second consecutive hard-fought, down-to-the-wire victory for Central, who flexed big-time crunch time playmaking when it mattered most down the stretch.
Wendell Tomes broke a 7-all tie in the third quarter thanks to his 4-yard pick-six, but Kalamazoo Central responded rather quickly. Junior quarterback Kam Woods connected with Khy’miere Bowen for an electrifying 70-yard score moments later, knotting the score at 14-all and setting up the Mustangs’ final drive. Mustangs junior running back Joseph Gehman kicked off the scoring with a 7-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, which was followed by a K-Central response –– Keyontae Gibson’s 63-yard rushing touchdown.
Gehman finished with a game-high 180 yards rushing on 33 carries, while McNally added 31 yards and his game-winning score, along with 36 yards passing. Gibson finished with 74 yards rushing on six carries, Woods collected 108 yards passing and added 50 yards rushing and Curtis Whitfield finished wi.
