Greg Smith of St. Aloysius rams into Stringer defensive end Lance Ishee for some of his 102 yards in the Flashes’ 49-6 win Friday night. Smith also ran for a touchdown as St. Al built a 49-0 halftime lead.

(The Vicksburg Post/C. Todd Sherman)

Purvis totals 377 yards, six TDs

GREENVILLE It took 100 miles for Porters Chapel to reach Greenville Christian Friday, and they tried to get every one of them back in the first quarter.

Turning jet lag into jet legs, the Eagles beat the Saints 55-14.

PCA tailback Wesley Purvis led the Eagle offensive attack with 195 yards and five touchdowns on 10 carries, and 182 yards and one touchdown on special teams.

“The line came out blocking good, and we came out to play and took it to them,” Purvis said. “Couldn’t do it without the line, we all played together.”

It took less than two minutes for Purvis to put the Eagles on top with a 6-yard touchdown run and a 6-0 lead after a missed extra point. Two minutes later, Purvis ran 20 yards for a 13-0 lead.

“We just came out flat,” Greenville Christian coach John Baker said. “I told the boys all week you’ve got to tackle No. 1 (Purvis), and they didn’t tackle him.”

It cost the Saints early, as Purvis took another first-quarter run 35 yards for a 20-0 PCA lead.

The Saints answered in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run by Jimmy Peoples to close the deficit to 20-7, but Purvis continued to run, bolstering his stats with a 51-yard touchdown run. PCA missed another extra point, however, leaving the score at 26-7.

The Eagles’ defense refused to be outdone, as Ryan Hoben blocked a pass and Lance Gullett intercepted to set the Eagles up on their own 21 with 5:08 to play in the first half.

The Eagles switched gears on the possession, but the results stayed the same as Gerald Mims threw a 21-yard TD pass to Jason Pugh on the next play to make it 33-7. Aaron Curry added a 25-yard field goal with 15 seconds to play in the half to give PCA a 36-7 lead at the break.

“We had a lot of positives from last week, and we worked on them,” PCA coach Bubba Mims said. “I was so proud of the way they played.”

Purvis didn’t treat the Greenville defense any better in the second half than he did in the first. He took a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and a 43-7 lead with about six minutes to play in the third quarter.

“Anytime Wesley hhas the ball, anything can happen,” Bubba Mims said. “He can break it at any moment.”

The Saints showed legs of their own, as Peoples returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to make it 43-14.

Purvis closed the door on the Saints with a 36-yard touchdown run on PCA’s next possession, and on the Eagles’ next drive Josh Rush rumbled seven yards into the end zone to close the scoring.

“We have a job to do when we cross that white line. It means business,” Bubba Mims said. “We set a goal for the playoffs, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

(See page 2 for St. Al story)