Biggest challenge of the year awaits Porters Chapel|[10/06/06]
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 6, 2006
When the season is over, Randy Wright will probably take time to reflect on becoming the winningest coach in Porters Chapel Academy history. If he can do it this week against Riverfield, it might even mean a little more.
For now, however, there’s no time to think about it. This game is too important to the Eagles’ future to stop and think about history.
PCA and Riverfield meet in Rayville, La., tonight with a lot on the line. Riverfield can clinch its first district championship since 1996 with a win. PCA can’t clinch anything tonight, but can take a big step toward its third straight district title by beating the Raiders. PCA would still need to beat Adams County Christian at home on Oct. 20 to finish first in District 4-AA.
“Everybody has a schedule and puts a big star next to the games that are big games, and this is the biggest star for us,” said Wright, who earned his 24th career victory at PCA last week against Glenbrook, tying him with Erwin Baylot atop the school’s all-time list. “This is our Super Bowl.”
If Riverfield coach Cleo Head didn’t have a star by this game at the start of the season, he certainly put one by it after last week’s win over ACCS. The victory over one of the other two contenders for the District 4-AA crown got the Raiders (5-1, 2-0) halfway to their goal. Now they need one more or else it opens the door to a potential headache.
If PCA wins tonight but loses to ACCS, it creates a three-way tie for two playoff spots. Neither Wright nor Head was sure of how the tiebreaker would sort things out.
“We’re in a position where we control our destiny,” Head said. “If Porters Chapel wins, we don’t know what’ll happen.”
Both teams are coming into the game on high notes – Riverfield off its win against ACCS, and PCA off a 30-28 victory over Glenbrook. PCA’s win marked the first time this season that the Eagles have won back-to-back games, and was one of their better showings this season.
The Eagles scored 28 first-half points, drove inside Glenbrook territory on 8 of 11 possessions, and clinched the game by forcing a safety and interception on Glenbrook’s last two possessions.
That, combined with a 33-6 rout of Indianola Academy the week before, has the Eagles feeling like they’ve turned a corner after four weeks of starts and stops.
“We’re just playing a lot better than we were,” said receiver Cole Smith, who caught a 94-yard touchdown pass and had two interceptions against Glenbrook.