PORTLAND, Tenn. – Warren East controlled the second half of its season opener Friday at Portland, Tenn.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, it wasn’t enough to overcome a sluggish first two quarters.

East fell behind the Panthers 28-0 by halftime at Edgar Johnson Stadium and went on to lose 28-14. The Raiders (0-1) pitched a shutout in the second half and got their offense going, but they dug too deep of a hole early on.

Warren East was outgained 236-46 over the game’s first 24 minutes. The Raiders allowed three touchdown drives of at least 48 yards and another that started at their own 6-yard line after a botched punt.

“We were just unprepared and that’s on me,” WEHS coach Jeff Griffith said of his team’s first half. “It was just the poorest display of football we could’ve put out there. Again, that’s on me. It’s my responsibility.

“I thought the second half we played with a little emotion and we played a little better. We’ve still got a long way to go.”

Portland quarterback Kaleb Mandrell set the tone on the game’s first play, rushing 51 yards to the Raiders’ 1. He took the ball into the end zone on the next play with the extra point making it 7-0.

Warren East went three-and-out on its first possession. Then, Nolan Ford stood back for the punt, but the snap sailed far over his head.

Ford recovered at the Raiders’ 6-yard line, turning the ball over on downs. The Panthers went up 13-0 four plays later on a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Josh Dutcher.

East couldn’t get the ball past its 40-yard line on each of its next three series.

Mandrell stretched the Portland lead to three scores with 5:07 left in the second, hitting Caden Box for a 39-yard TD pass. Two potential Warren East tacklers collided on the play, and then a 2-point conversion made it 21-0 Panthers.

The Raiders threatened on the next drive, but a long Thomas Maxey touchdown run was negated by a holding call. The series stalled and ended on a Ford interception.

Portland drove down once more before the halftime gun, scoring a fourth TD on a 12-yard Mandrell run.

Mandrell ran for 146 yards Friday, with 119 coming in the first half.

“Our preparation wasn’t as good as it should’ve been,” the sophomore quarterback Ford said. “I think we came out a little sluggish. I don’t know, I just wish we could’ve done better in that first half.”

Ford got WEHS on the board with 10:18 left in the third quarter, hitting Emonte Stockton on a 28-yard scoring strike.

The duo hooked up again late in the fourth quarter for a 22-yard TD pass. Those were the only two scores of a second half that the Raiders controlled, as they outgained the host Panthers 248-34.

Ford threw for 166 yards with two TDs against one interception on the night.

“I think we came out and we wanted to prove ourselves,” Ford said of the second half. “We just had to go out and do it. I think we showed up and we played, and we scored.”

It was too little, too late though, and Warren East fell to 0-1 on the season.

The Raiders will face Greenwood at 8 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Citizens First Bowl at WKU’s Houchens-Smith Stadium.

WEHS – 0 0 7 7 – 14

PHS – 13 15 0 0 – 28

First quarter

P – Mandrell 1 run (Lugo kick), 11:06

P – Dutcher 1 run (Lugo kick no good), 7:05

Second quarter

P – Box 39 pass from Mandrell (Dutcher pass from Mandrell), 5:07

P – Mandrell 12 run (Lugo kick), 1:12

Third quarter

WE – Stockton 28 pass from Ford (Kawai kick), 10:18

Fourth quarter

WE – Stockton 22 pass from Ford (Kawai kick), 1:22{&end}