PCA shines despite loss of 19 starters, rash of injuries|[10/08/07]

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The Porters Chapel Eagles weren’t supposed to do anything this season.

After losing 19 of 22 starters from a team that made back-to-back appearances in the MPSA semifinals, and several players who were supposed to replace them to preseason injuries, the Eagles were written off by many. It only got worse with a 1-2 start in which they were outscored 83-20.

Don’t look now, but the reports of PCA’s demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

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The Eagles have won four straight since that rough start. They’ll improve to 3-0 in district play this week by picking up a forfeit win over CM&I, whose program was suspended by the MPSA. And after last week’s upset of top-ranked Heidelberg Academy, PCA served notice that it will be a factor when this year’s playoffs come around.

“We’re definitely a force to be reckoned with,” PCA center Joe Borrello said. “I think it’s going to give our guys a lot of confidence. Coming in and beating the number one team in the state, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

The Eagles’ confidence comes from the fact that they didn’t just beat Heidelberg, they dominated.

PCA ran for 289 yards — 169 of it by senior tailback Austin Barber — and outscored the Rebels 28-6 in the second half. If not for three turnovers and a few ill-timed penalties, the score could have been more one-sided than the 35-22 final.

PCA had an interception return for a touchdown negated by an illegal block late in the first half. Heidelberg intercepted a pass of its own on the next play, leading to a touchdown that put it ahead 16-7 at halftime. The Eagles answered with a pair of one-play scoring drives in the third quarter, a 10-play drive in the fourth to take the lead for good, and another two-play scoring drive for the clinching score with 1:26 left in the game.

“We got beat in all aspects of the game,” Heidelberg coach Judd Johnston said afterward. “You’ve got to give credit to (PCA coach) Randy (Wright) and his team. We didn’t deserve to win the ballgame.”

PCA did, and now finds itself in prime position to make a drive toward the playoffs that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. The win over Heidelberg helped PCA in the MPSA’s power point ratings, which determine wild card spots. And with the four straight wins, the Eagles are playing their best football as they approach the most important part of their season.

PCA plays at winless Adams Christian this Friday — a game that replaced the one with CM&I — before a pair of district games that will more directly determine its postseason fate. PCA hosts Central Hinds and plays at Benton on Oct. 19 and 26, respectively, and needs to split those two games to earn a playoff spot. If the Eagles can win both, they’ll earn their third district title in four years and cap one of the most unlikely seasons in school history.

“We’re going to take them one game at a time. We’re not worried about Central Hinds and Benton yet,” Wright said after the win over Heidelberg. “We’re going to enjoy this win and start thinking about Adams Christian on Monday.”