The Portola community braved the first snow flurries of the season early on Nov. 30 to send off the Tigers football team to its first-ever championship game. Eight emergency vehicles with lights flashing and sirens wailing escorted the team’s yellow school bus over the South Gulling Street bridge and onto Highway 70, past utility trucks with buckets extended and displaying purple and white flags.
Family, friends, and community members lined the streets with noisemakers and signs, yelling and cheering as the team waved from the bus windows. Though the weather was gray, “let me tell you we have sunshine in our hearts,” said Michelle Pfingston, whose son Alex is on the team.
The Portola Tigers have been undefeated this season and are currently ranked No. 1 in the Northern Section Division 5. They play the Ferndale Wildcats in the regional finals at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at Cal Poly Humboldt. Viewers can watch the game online via the NFHS Network at 7:30 p.m. The winner of this Division 7-AA championship game will go on to play Fairfax in the state final.
“This group of young men really bought into the team concept,” said coach Steve Heskett. “They showed up in the summer ready to work hard to get this opportunity!” He described the team as “very unselfish” and said players “show up every day wanting to improve and get better.”
Students and staff at Portola Junior-Senior High School started the day by cheering the football players as they boarded the bus. A video is available on the school’s Facebook page.
For more information on the team, including game scores and statistics, visit the team’s MaxPreps page.
