BY YANEEK SMITH, BEACON CONTRIBUTOR

HURON — Port Clinton made a valiant effort, but being down by 18 points was ultimately too much to overcome as the Redskins fell to Huron, 41-26.

Trailing 28-10, Port Clinton (4-5, 2-2 SBC Bay) scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Cooper Stine and went into halftime down by 11. In the third quarter, Hunter Mominee kicked a 30-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 28-20, and Colton Klima later scored on a 1-yard run.

But the ‘Skins were unable to convert on the two-point conversion, and the Tigers (7-2, 3-1) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Joey Brown scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to make it 35-26, and Caden Moore finished off the scoring with a 16-yard touchdown run.

“We dug ourselves in a hole and did our best to catch up but fell short. We couldn’t stop them. They were able to make plays at the right time, and we weren’t,” said Port Clinton coach Beau Carmon.

“Twice we were in the red zone, and had to settle for field goals. When they got into the red zone, they (scored touchdowns). It was a great football game between two teams that really wanted to win, and they were better than us on Friday night.”

Stine had an incredible performance in a losing effort, rushing 25 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 67 yards, good enough to accumulate 247 all-purpose yards.

“It was an outstanding effort. He got a lot of yards after contact. We had a handful of kids that couldn’t make it through the game, and he was one of them. It was typical Cooper Stine, Colton threw for over 200 yards on nine completions. I’m very, very proud of the effort for our team, led by Cooper, who’s our leader,” said Carmon.

“We felt we could run on that football team. We’re not as well balanced as we’d like to be. We’ve shown glimpses because of some of the players that we have, (but) we’re just not there because of our youth and inexperience. The effort has been there all year. I don’t think anybody could question that.”

On Friday, Port Clinton hosts rival Oak Harbor.

“We need to put together our best game of the year. Any self-inflicted mistakes will devastate us in this game. There’s no room to put us into a hole. Oak Harbor doesn’t have a weakness. They have great offensive line, great skill kids, and they’re physical, fast, well coached, and sound on special teams. There just isn’t any room for error,” said Carmon. “We’re going to play our best game. It’s a rivalry game. It’s exciting to be part of a game of this magnitude. I think we’re playing one of the best teams in the state in Division V. It’s a great opportunity for us to see where we are against a very formidable opponent.

“I hope Oak Harbor brings the town over and I know Port Clinton will show because we love football, and I hope it’s a great environment for the kids. I hope it’s a great environment for kids on both teams.”