Portage Gallops Into Purchase Line’s Senior Night, Pulls Off 33-20 Win

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Isaac Markle | October 23, 2026

Purchase Line football seniors walk onto the field for the coin toss on Senior Night (above) (photo by Isaac Markle)

The 3-5 Portage Mustangs walked onto Barry T Madill Athletic Field in Commodore, PA, expecting a tight matchup against the 3-5 Purchase Line Red Dragons. Despite a strong start from the Dragons, and the fact that they were celebrating Senior Night, the Mustangs spoiled the party, coming up with a 33-20 victory.

The Dragons started with the ball and wasted no time getting on the board as junior running back Maddox Frantz ran in a 15-yard touchdown after setting himself up with a big run on the opening play, making it 7-0 early on.

The Mustangs were able to put up a solid drive on the ground, and running back Leshon Walker ran in a 30-yarder to tie the score at 7.

They were then able to make the first defensive stop of the night, leading to a big punt return from sophomore running back Dominic Berardinelli that quarterback Tyson Burkett took advantage of with a 15-yard touchdown run of his own to give Portage the lead.

On defense, Burkett recovered a fumble, and junior Landon Simala ran it in from 11 yards out to make it 21-7, now midway through the second quarter.

The Dragons responded later on, as star senior running back Micah Lotson ran it in with less than three minutes left until halftime to cut into the Mustangs’ lead.

A pass by Berardinelli was picked off, allowing Purchase Line a chance to go into the locker rooms with a tied score. However, Portage came up with a defensive stop immediately, allowing them to take their lead into the second half.

At halftime, several Purchase Line seniors in fall athletics, band, and cheer were recognized for their dedication throughout their high school years, allowing the home crowd to stop for a second and learn about the school’s upcoming graduating class. The football seniors were recognized before the game, allowing the focus to shift to the others during halftime.

At the beginning of the second half, Burkett cashed in another Mustangs touchdown, extending their lead to 27-14, although they failed to convert the PAT.

A botched Dragons punt then led to more than favorable field position for Portage, and Burkett wasted no time taking advantage of the mishap, finding wide-open sophomore receiver Conner Sciko to make the score 33-14.

Frantz responded with his second touchdown of the game, making it 33-20, although a two-point conversion attempt went awry, keeping the score such going into the final quarter.

With possession, the Mustangs ran out the majority of the quarter, but a missed field goal seemed to give Purchase Line a second chance. Despite this, time ran out for the 3-5 Red Dragons, and they could not put any more points on the board before the clock ran to zero.

Portage picked up their fourth win of the season to improve to 4-5, while Purchase Line took their fourth consecutive loss to fall to 3-6 on the season that will come to a close next week. Portage will now return home and prepare for their regular season finale against Homer-Center, who fell short of an upset against the undefeated Cambria Heights Highlanders, and Purchase Line will pay a visit to the United Valley co-op to finish out their 2026 season.