Unlike some of its teams from recent years, Porters Chapel didn’t blow anyone’s doors off on its road to the playoffs. There weren’t a lot of flashy, one-sided wins or lockdown defensive performances.

The Eagles, instead, went through a meatgrinder of a schedule that had them facing four of the eight district champions in MAIS Class A. Three other opponents advanced to the postseason. They’ll face a fifth district champion on Friday night when they head to Bay Springs to take on Sylva Bay (8-2) in the first round of the playoffs.

PCA hardly came through the schedule unscathed, as its 4-7 record — which includes a forfeit win — can attest. The trials of facing such a difficult schedule, though, has earned it a spot as a sleeper pick in the 16-team playoff field.

“It only made us better, playing these hard teams and fighting through what we have,” PCA coach Bill Fleming said. “We’re battle-tested. We’re ready. We’re not dreading anything. There’s no use just being happy getting here. You have to keep going.”

To do that, PCA will have to play more like it did in a 27-6 win over Newton Academy in last week’s season finale, and less like it did most of the season.

PCA only gave up 13.6 points per game in its last five contests. But it only scored 17.8. Eighty of its 89 total points in that span came against district opponents Russell Christian and Newton.

Fleming said a better offensive effort would be needed against Sylva Bay, which has used a potent offense to rip off seven consecutive victories. The Saints were held to 12 points in the season opener against Stringer — an MHSAA school — and have not been held under 20 since then. They’ve scored 39 or more points in six of their eight wins.

“We have to put some points on the board. If we do that, we have a shot,” Fleming said. “They’ve got a fullback that reminds me of a 17-year-old Larry Csonka the way he runs. He just wants to rumble forward for as many yards as he can.”

Perhaps for the first time since early this season, however, the Eagles might have the weapons to hang with Sylva Bay. Tailback Jay Wiley, playing with a torn ACL, ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns against Newton.

Having a potent weapon like Wiley back in the lineup takes some of the pressure off PCA’s other playmakers and opens up the offense a bit, Fleming said.

“We never thought Jay would be back to where he is. Jay is a difference-maker,” Fleming said.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com