Port Jervis High School’s football team turned back a game Marlboro Central squad 21-6 in a Section 9 Class B matchup Friday night at Marlboro’s turf field, pulling away with two second-half touchdowns after a tightly contested first thirty minutes.

Port Jervis (2-1 overall, 1-0 Class B) came into the game off a 31-3 win over rival Minisink Valley and entered Friday’s contest as a favorite to reclaim the sectional title Saugerties took from the Red Raiders with a 22-21 upset in last season’s championship game. Port Jervis had won six straight Section 9 titles before that loss.

The Red Raiders wasted little time asserting themselves. Senior defensive back Cole Corcoran intercepted a pass from Marlboro sophomore quarterback Santino Caserto late in the first quarter.

Port Jervis capitalized three plays later, following a 42-yard completion from junior quarterback Hunter Franck to senior running back Marcus Bloom with a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore Izaiah Green. Corcoran’s extra point made it 7-0 with 53.4 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Marlboro Central (1-1 overall, 0-1 Class B) answered before halftime. Senior defensive back Devin Robertson intercepted Franck to set up the Dukes at the Port Jervis 18-yard line, and senior running back Shawn DeLaigle scored on an 18-yard run to cut the deficit to 7-6 with 3:48 left in the second quarter. A procedural penalty pushed the extra-point attempt back five yards, and it was missed.

Port Jervis seized control after halftime, needing just six plays to cover 71 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter. Franck connected with junior running back Amato Natale on a 10-yard swing pass for a touchdown, making it 14-6 with 9:08 remaining in the quarter.

Marlboro’s final scoring threat came on fourth-and-13 late in the game, when coach Ryan Brooks elected to go for it from the Dukes’ 33-yard line. Caserto scrambled out of the pocket but was stopped five yards short of the first down. Port Jervis closed out the scoring on Natale’s 25-yard touchdown run, making it 21-6 with 2:28 to play.

Natale finished with 77 yards on 13 carries, and Port Jervis rushed for 133 yards on 27 carries as a team. Franck completed 11 of 17 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. DeLaigle, who had rushed for 178 yards in a 12-7 win over Chester the previous week, was held under 30 yards on 17 carries against Port Jervis.

Marlboro was limited to 69 yards on 31 carries as a team, and Caserto completed one pass on seven attempts.

DeLaigle, Dylan McKenzie and Bruce Laboy were named Marlboro Central’s players of the game — DeLaigle on offense, McKenzie on special teams and Laboy for his overall and defensive performance.

Marlboro travels to Beacon for a Class B game at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Port Jervis is on the road as well, facing Middletown at 1 p.m. on Sept. 26.