Football Recap: Ryan Porter Key Part of Team Effort in Cougars Win

It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Durant ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They snuck past the Bartow Yellow Jackets with a 46-40 victory. That's more bragging rights for the Cougars, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Ryan Porter

Points

10/24/25 vs Bartow	16
10/17/25 @ Tampa Bay Tech	10
10/10/25 vs Bloomingdale	8
10/03/25 @ Newsome	6
09/26/25 @ Riverview	2
+ 4 more games

Durant's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ryan Porter, who picked up 124 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Porter continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Durant also got help from King Rivera, who showed off his sure hands for 95 receiving yards.

Durant didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Rivera and Remus Randall. Randall also made seven total tackles, which is notable because Durant is 2-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 3-4 otherwise. The Cougars got some further help from Jeremiah Stanley: he picked up two sacks, made nine total tackles (2.5 for loss), and defended one pass.

Despite the loss, Bartow still got an impressive performance from Ethan Brous, who threw for 417 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 40 yards and one TD. Major McBath also helped out as he racked up 153 receiving yards.

The victory got Durant back to even at 5-5. As for Bartow, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.

Durant does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Bartow, they will face off against Lake Wales at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 963 yards in their previous games.