PORTAGEVILLE -- Opportunity knocked once again. This time, however, Malden football answered the call.
After stopping Portageville on fourth and goal from the 12-yard line with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 22, Malden was faced with the task of going 88 yards down the field to earn its first win.
That's exactly what it did.
Senior Gavin Bristow punched in the game-winning, one-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the game to put Malden (1-2) in position to earn its first win.
Malden's defense, though, needed one more stop.
After a pass interference call gave Portageville (1-2) the ball at midfield, senior Tye Miller iced the game by sitting on a post route for an interception at Malden's 13-yard line. The play sealed a 28-22 victory for the Green Wave.
"(The win) was pretty huge for us," Malden coach Kevin Collier said. "We improved some last week. We made too many mistakes again, but we overcame them. Give Portageville credit. They played very hard, had a good plan coming in."
Miller gave his perspective on the winning interception.
"We were in a cover 2, and in the fourth quarter they had been throwing the post to the slot a lot out of cover 2, and so I just kind of cheated a couple steps toward the middle because I had a feeling it was coming again," Miller said.
Miller -- as he's done all season -- put on a workhorse performance for the Green Wave. He began the final drive with runs of four and 13 yards. A fumbled snap put Malden in second and 14. Miller responded with a 13-yard scamper and followed it up with a 2-yard carry to move the chains.
With the ball on Malden's 40, Miller broke free for an 18-yard burst. By then, the Portageville defense was on its heels and trying to zero in on Miller. That set up junior receiver Brandon Heck for a 17-yard carry to get into Portageville territory. That led to Miller time once again. Miller broke off a 24-yard run to the one, and that set up Bristow's winning touchdown.
"We played a much better fourth quarter than any of the other three, and usually it's been the other way around so far this year, so we finally buckled down in the fourth quarter and did what it took to win," Miller said. "Hopefully we can get it kind of rolling down the hill now and win some more."
Like last week, the Green Wave were troubled by flags for most of the night. They were penalized 16 times for 165 yards. This week, however, Malden overcame with the mentality of moving on and not dwelling on its mistakes.
"We're preaching focus, but the main thing is after we make a penalty, you've gotta focus on the next play because that's over, you can't do anything about it," Miller said.
Another player who stepped up defensively when the team needed plays was sophomore cornerback Lamar Smith.
He had given up a touchdown and was called for a pass interference penalty near the goal line on a fourth down. But when his team needed him to make a play in the clutch. He stepped up multiple times. He started by breaking up a fourth and goal pass in the end zone to preserve a scoreless third quarter from both teams.
On the final drive, he showed his poise once again. Portageville had the ball at Malden's 37-yard line. A throw was made on a go route near the goal line, and Smith was there with Miller to break up the play.
"I just keep my composure," Smith said. "Don't worry about the play before that. You just worry about what's going on at that time."
Added Collier, "He never says a word negative. He's just a great kid to coach. He just goes out and does his job, and it's really good to see him get some confidence. ... If something goes bad, he's the same next play; he's just ready to go again."
The pass deflection at the goal line was followed up by Miller's sealing interception to lock up the victory.
Miller finished with 31 carries for 267 yards on the night, both season highs. For the first time all season, he didn't run for a touchdown, but he threw for three -- another season high -- including a 51-yard bomb to junior Kristian Hollmann that tied the game at 22 with 7:11 remaining.
Collier didn't mince words when expressing the importance of Miller's contributions to the team.
"It's pretty huge. We've been fortunate the last several years," Collier said. "And Tye, he does things for us. He goes hard; he studies film; he prepares for a game really hard, and we're really proud of that.
"You've gotta have that kind of senior leadership."