PORTAGE — Portage’s offense surpassed the 500-point mark for the season on Saturday night in the District 6 Class A quarterfinal playoffs.

But how about that defense?

The third-seeded and undefeated Mustangs’ first defensive unit was nearly impenetrable during a 54-6 victory over visiting Marion Center.

“They’re good. They’re very, very good,” Marion Center coach Dave Malicky said of the 10-0 Mustangs. “We couldn’t stop them defensively. We couldn’t move the ball offensively. That’s going to make for a long night.

“I tip my hat to them. They’re very physical, very quick, a very nice football team. We haven’t played a team like that for a while. We were a little overmatched. That’s an understatement.”

On offense, Portage rushed for

401 yards and passed for 90.

The Mustangs collected 20 rushing first downs and three passing first downs.

Conversely, Marion Center had only two first-half first downs, one of those by penalty and the other coming in the waning seconds of the second quarter.

Overall, the 8-3 Stingers collected five first downs.

“We had the week off and our kids came out and we looked really fast,” said Portage coach Gary Gouse, whose team travels to second-seeded Bellwood-Antis for the 6-A semifinals next week. “We punched them in the face and they didn’t do anything.

“Our defense, I’m really proud of them,” Gouse said. “Our coaches did a great job of game-planning. Our kids were ready. I don’t think they gained anything on our first group – one first down, maybe. You can’t ask anything more.

“Our offensive line did a great job tonight. We were clicking on all cylinders. I’m really proud of these kids.”

Portage’s Mike Sinosky gained

160 yards and scored three touchdowns on only 11 carries. He ran only one time in the second half – a

15-yard touchdown.

“We were just excited to play,” said Sinosky, a senior who scored on runs of 4, 44 and 15 yards an added a conversion run and extra-point kick. “We sat out that extra week and everyone was ready to go. We had an extra week of practice. We went full pads all week to prepare for them, which was a lot of help. The offensive line does a great job week-in and week-out. They’re the best offensive line we’ve had in a while.”

Tommy Burgan (seven carries,

61 yards), Jason Kostan (6-67), Jalen Noel (6-51) and Jesse Kreutzberger

(8-20) added to the rushing totals.

Portage built a 15-0 first-quarter advantage on Sinosky’s first two touchdowns.

A 26-point second quarter put the game out of reach and a running clock into motion for the second half.

Ryan Scoran caught a 59-yard pass from Taylor Swires, Tommy Burgan ran 19 yards for a touchdown, and Jason Kostan had touchdown runs of

2 and 45 yards.

In the second half, the Mustangs added Sinosky’s last touchdown and Jesse Kreutzberger’s 6-yard score.

The Stingers’ Jed Peterson burst through a hole for a 75-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve scored 500-some points, but we only gave up 45 or 47 points all year,” said Gouse, whose Mustangs have a cumulative 503-53 scoring margin over opponents this season. “We’re not just good offensively. We’re very strong defensively.

“It’s a great football team when you can do both. You don’t have to rely on one thing to win a football game. These kids have been together for a long time, since they’ve been in grade school. They’re best friends. The coaches are all very close. This is like a close-knit family. We live and breathe football here. It really showed (Saturday) because we made a statement. We’re ranked eighth in some polls in the state and seventh. It’s because these kids deserve it. I really believe that.”