Football: Eisenhower uses Porter power

Eisenhower tailback Gervais Porter couldn't have picked a better time to produce his best performance of the season.

With the Cardinals needing a win to qualify for the Class 6A playoffs, Porter dashed for touchdown runs of 54, 45, 49 and 52 yards to lead Eisenhower to a 28-0 victory over Evergreen Park in a South Suburban Red contest in Blue Island on Friday.

Porter finished with 209 yards on 17 carries, and senior quarterback Josh Rodriguez added 43 yards on eight tries.

"I talked to all the seniors before the game and said that this could be our last game together and let's leave it all on the field," said Porter, whose uncle Ike was a star running back for the Cardinals in the mid-1990s. "It was win or go home. We couldn't afford to lose this game."

The Cardinals (5-4) extended their playoff streak to three consecutive seasons, the longest in the program's history.

"It feels good to have been here for all three," Porter said.

Eisenhower jumped on the scoreboard first when Porter, a three-year varsity starter, broke through the right side of the line and scampered 54 yards to pay dirt for a 6-0 lead. Eric Gomez's first of four point-after kicks made it 7-0 at 2:55 of the first quarter.

Porter was just getting warmed up. He provided another long touchdown run with 5:06 remaining in the second quarter. The 6-foot-1 senior took a handoff from Rodriguez and busted up the middle, shedding tackles on his way to a 45-yard TD run and 14-0 lead.

Porter registered his third score of the first half, darting 49 yards on an end-around for a 21-0 advantage with 29.9 ticks remaining in the first half.

Credit the Cardinals offensive line of Fabian Becerra, Jeff Andersen, German Becerra, Garrett Wisinski and Moises Perez for providing running room for the ground attack.

"I thanked my offensive line after the game," Porter said. "They gave me some nice holes."

The Cardinals defense, led by Marshawn Plummer, Adam Marlin, Jose Alvarado and Brian Stafford, limited the Mustangs to 13 yards total offense and zero first downs in the opening half. Porter was a major factor on defense as well, stuffing Evergreen Park quarterback Dylan Kellog for a pair of losses.

The game was delayed for almost an hour with 7:12 left in the third quarter. The stoppage didn't hamper Porter, who on the Cardinals' first possession after the break scampered 52 yards for his fourth TD of the game. That made it 28-0 at 3:55 of the third quarter.

The lone bright spot for Evergreen Park (1-8), which didn't record a first down until 2:15 remained in the third quarter, was running back Mike Lewis. The junior totaled 42 yards on the ground.

"We hope to keep this going," Porter said. "This was a good way to end the regular season."