Randy Wright has not been a busy man the last few Friday nights.

Instead of coaching Porters Chapel Academy, the Eagles’ coach has spent some time with his family, scouted a few opponents, and worked a little on the side. And he’s sick of it.

PCA has not played a game since Aug. 26, thanks to Hurricane Katrina. The storm forced the postponement of a game the following week against CM&I, and the power outages and shortages left in its wake forced Union to cancel last Friday’s game.

So when the seventh-ranked Eagles return to the field tonight for the first time in three weeks, they will have to shake off plenty of rust and deal with a solid Tensas Academy team hungry for revenge and redemption.

“We’re hoping we’re still going to be in shape and have some timing. But there’s definitely going to be some rust from having been off this long,” Wright said. “This is a first for us. It’s definitely a challenge to take a couple of weeks off.

“We’re very fortunate that this is a non-district game.”

Tensas wasn’t that fortunate last Friday. The Chiefs lost a key district game against Briarfield, 20-14, when the Rebels’ Jon Jon Taylor dragged two defenders into the end zone for a game-winning touchdown as time expired.

Barring an upset, the loss crippled Tensas’ playoff chances. The Chiefs must run the table and beat powerhouse River Oaks, or else hope that Briarfield stumbles twice, to have a shot at the postseason.

While the loss to Briarfield was a shock to the Chiefs, Wright doesn’t expect to see any lingering effects when they play his team tonight.

“I don’t expect them to be thinking about that,” Wright said. “I expect them to think about coming over here and whipping us.”

That was something the Chiefs had hoped to do last year, but didn’t. PCA roared out to a 21-0 halftime lead before winning 27-20 for their its third win in a row against Tensas.

“They really thought they could beat us last year, and they’re going to come out fired up after a bad loss last week,” said PCA running back Chris Mixon, who has rushed for 306 yards and four touchdowns on only 15 carries this season.