PORTAGE — After putting together a scoring drive just seven seconds before halftime, Portage looked to regain momentum against Heritage Conference foe Purchase Line.

The Mustangs, trailing by two scores at the break, received the ball to start the third quarter and drove to the Red Dragons’ 30 yard line.

However, two penalties forced Portage to punt and Purchase Line followed with back-to-back touchdowns as the Red Dragons pulled away for a 33-6 victory Friday night.

“We got the late touchdown at the end of the first half, and that was big,” Portage coach Marty Slanoc said. “We felt confident with some of the things we had, but a couple miscues got us behind the sticks. Our guys battled. We had a lot of young kids out there competing, and I appreciate their efforts.”

Play of the game: Three plays after forcing a Portage turnover on downs, Purchase Line quarterback Victor Bartlebaugh scored on a 42-yard run to put the Red Dragons ahead by three scores and put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.

Player of the game: Bartlebaugh headlined the Red Dragons offense with 191 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 19 attempts.

The senior opened the game’s scoring with a 9-yard run before scoring on carries of 42 and 9 yards in the fourth quarter to ice the game for the Red Dragons.

“We came here today knowing it was a business trip,” Bartlebaugh said. “We knew if we didn’t win this game, it could possibly send us home next week. We talked before the game and said we needed to get the job done. It was a great team effort.”

Unsung heroes: Seth Frantz and Micah Lotson also found the endzone for Purchase Line, which tallied 329 of its 374 total yards on the ground.

“I think we’re just starting to click at the right time,” Purchase Line coach Matt Falisec said. “It’s been a long process. Victor is actually our third quarterback, but it opens up a lot more things on offense with him running the ball. Credit to our offensive line, they did a great job.”

Defensively, the Red Dragons forced three punts and three turnovers on downs while recording four sacks.

“Our defense has been playing steady all year,” Falisec said. “It’s a ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality. Overall, they did a great job, especially pitching a shutout in the second half. I was very proud of the effort.”

Most vital statistics: Portage’s lone touchdown came on a 60-yard drive that was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tyson Burkett to Layton Munyon with seven seconds left in the second quarter.

Outside of the scoring possession, the Mustangs struggled to sustain drives on offense, mustering just 115 total yards.

Notable: Burkett had his first career start at quarterback for the Mustangs in place of Easton Slanoc, who sat out Friday … Three other Portage starters also left the game due to injury … Burkett finished 9 of 12 passing for 99 yards.

Records: Purchase Line (3-6); Portage (2-7).

Next week: Purchase Line hosts United Valley, Portage travels to Homer-Center.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Purchase Line 12 8 0 13 — 33

Portage 0 6 0 0 — 6

First Quarter

PL–Bartlebaugh 9 run (Kick failed), 7:38.

PL–Lotson 10 run (Conversion failed), 1:14.

Second Quarter

PL–S. Frantz 1 run (Bartlebaugh run), 1:16.

P–Munyon 6 pass from Burkett (Conversion failed), 0:07.

Fourth Quarter

PL–Bartlebaugh 42 run (Kick failed), 10:03.

PL–Bartlebaugh 9 run (Johnston kick), 4:46.

TEAM STATISTICS PL P

First downs 17 10

Total yards 374 175

Rushes-yards 43-329 33-76

Yards passing 45 99

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 2-5-0 9-12-0

Punts-avg. 0-00 3-28

Fumbles-lost 3-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 4-25 7-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Purchase Line, Bartlebaugh 19-191, Davis 5-14, M. Frantz 3-61, Lotson 6-29, Johnston 3-18, S. Frantz 2-3, Goss 5-13. Portage, Munyon 15-59, Berardinelli 6-3, Gathers 5-33, Burkett 4-(-7), Shaffer 1-(-4), Ferrero 2-(-8).

PASSING–Purchase Line, Bartlebaugh 2-5-0-45. Portage, Burkett 9-12-0-99.

RECEIVING–Purchase Line, Lotson 1-7, Layden 1-38. Portage, Berardinelli 2-38, Sciko 2-8, Bobolsky 2-24, Munyon 2-11, Gathers 1-18.