[9/26/03]There’s a faint whiff of the playoffs in the breeze at Porters Chapel Academy, and a louder sound of opportunity knocking this week.

After upsetting Tallulah and dispatching Greenville Christian, PCA finds itself smack in the middle of the postseason race. Although five weeks still remain in the season, the Eagles will get a chance to improve their standing tonight in a non-conference game against Presbyterian Christian (4-1).

A victory over the Academy-AA school would bring the Eagles (3-2) crucial power points that would help in their quest for one of the two wild-card spots in the Academy-A playoffs.

“Our biggest thing here is it’s a chance to make the playoffs in a very tough district,” PCA coach Bubba Mims said. “It’s real tight in our district. A win over an AA school would be real big in several ways. One, it’s a win, and two, it’s power points.”

PCA has beaten Presbyterian Christian handily in each of their last two meetings, but getting a victory this time won’t be easy.

In just its third year as a program, Presbyterian Christian boasts a high-powered offense that has outscored opponents 173-71 this season. The Bobcats have scored at least 50 points in three of their four victories, and already matched their win total from last year.

Quarterback Matthew Lowry has thrown for 336 yards and run for another 261 yards and four touchdowns, while fullback Ross Sybert has rushed for six TDs and is one of three Bobcats with at least 250 yards on the ground. Junior Chase Herrin, with 366 rushing yards, is the other.

“They’ve beaten us the last two years by a combined score of 55-10, so we’ve got some motivation as far as that’s concerned,” Presbyterian Christian coach Cory Bowles said.

PCA’s defense has risen to nearly every challenge this season. The Eagles have posted two shutouts against Tensas and Greenville Christian and held Tallulah to a mere six points.

The 56 points PCA has surrendered so far is the eighth-best total among the 45 teams in Academy-A.

“The defense has played real well,” Mims said. “We had a letdown the last half of the Sharkey game, and our defense has played well except for three big plays in the Central Hinds game.”