SOUTH PORTLAND — This season, the Battle of the Bridge went to Portland.
The Bulldogs got all the offense they needed in the second quarter, then held South Portland to nine yards in the fourth quarter, taking a 20-13 win in the annual game between the rivals.
Both teams end the regular season at 5-3 and will move on to the Class B South playoffs.
Portland’s offense relied on its strong running attack, gaining 338 yards on the ground. Quarterback Kennedy Charles led the Bulldogs with 191 yards on 21 carries, despite leaving the game briefly twice because of leg injuries. Andrew Brewer ran for 72 yards, many coming in the fourth quarter as Portland held its slim lead. Reagan Buck added 69 yards rushing.
Portland took control with 20 straight points in the second quarter to grab a 20-6 lead. The first two touchdowns came just under two minutes apart, and South Portland allowed more points in those two minutes than it had in its last three games combined.
First, Brewer capped a three-play, 87-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 6-6 with 10:34 left in the half. The drive began when Charles ran 59 yards on the first play.
Following that score, the Bulldogs recovered an onside kick, then scored two plays later when Charles ran 52 yards, going up the middle before cutting left for the go-ahead touchdown with 8:40 to play in the first half.
Facing fourth-and-15 from the Red Riots 27, Portland called timeout with 3.1 seconds left in the first half to set up a final play. Charles scrambled left and tossed up a pass to Remijo Wani, who caught it as he crossed the goal line for a 20-6 Bulldogs lead at the break.
South Portland took a 6-0 lead on the first play on the second quarter when Jaelen Jackson scored on a 1-yard keeper. The play capped an eight-play drive that began on the South Portland 30 and saw the Red Riots convert two third downs.
The Red Riots cut Portland’s lead to a touchdown early in the third quarter when Jackson connected with Nolan Hobbs for a 17-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-15 play.
Hobbs finished with four catches for 80 yards.
Portland had chances to extend its lead in the second half but was unable to find the end zone. A pair of drives ended on downs deep in South Portland territory, at the 10 late in the third quarter and at the 11 midway through the fourth.
The Red Riots had one final chance to tie the game, taking possession at their own 16 with just over three minutes to play. After three straight incompletions, a false start penalty backed the Red Riots up 5 yards before another incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive. Portland took over at the 11, and on fourth-and-2 from the 3, Brewer fell just inside the 1-yard line. From there, Charles took a knee to end the game.
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