Porters Chapel didn’t need to win Friday night to clinch a playoff berth. It could’ve gotten in with a loss and some other favorable results.

The Eagles, though, didn’t leave anything to chance. With their best performance in more than a month, they beat Prentiss Christian 40-14, snapped a four-game losing streak, kicked in the door to the postseason and secured third place in District 4-A.

PCA (4-6) will open the MAIS Class A playoffs this Friday at Riverfield (8-3).

“If you’re in, you’ve got a chance. If you’re home, you don’t,“ PCA coach Wade Patrick said. “You’ve got a puncher’s chance, just like a boxer. As long as he’s standing he’s got one chance to knock you out. You don’t have to be the best team all year. You have to be the best team one night. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Patrick added that the 45-minute drive to Rayville, La., to face Riverfield was one of the real rewards for finishing third. Had PCA lost to Prentiss Christian, it would’ve been fourth and traveled two hours to Woodville to play Wilkinson Christian.

“You always want to go somewhere close. You don’t want that four-hour drive like we had last year,” Patrick said. “You’re a little bit fresher when you get there off that bus ride.”

PCA controlled most of the action against Prentiss Christian, but still trailed 14-13 at halftime. Two turnovers ended drives inside the red zone in the second quarter, and a bad punt snap deep in its own territory set up the Saints for a quick touchdown drive.

The second half, however, belonged to PCA — and, specifically, Peter Harris. The senior running back scored three of his six touchdowns in the third quarter as the Eagles turned the one-point deficit into a 19-point lead. Harris added another score early in the fourth to tie a Warren County record for rushing TDs in a game.

Harris finished with 288 yards. It was the most recent outburst in what has been a spectacular season. Harris has nearly 1,400 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns — 19 rushing, three receiving and three more on kick returns. He’s developed into the most potent weapon for a PCA offense that has struggled in the passing game, and more games like Friday’s might be necessary for the Eagles to advance deep into the playoffs.

“If there’s anybody better than him, I’d hate to see them. As much pressure and as many people as he has following him,” Patrick said. “If somebody doesn’t give him a shot in college, I think they need to have their head examined. That kid can play somewhere.”

While Harris’ heroics deservedly grabbed the spotlight Friday, PCA also picked up its effort in other areas. The defense held Prentiss Christian to 160 total yards. In the second half, Prentiss had 58 yards, three first downs and didn’t get past PCA’s 25-yard line.

The offense only lined up to punt twice on 11 possessions. Once, it resulted in the fumbled snap that gave Prentiss the ball at the PCA 24. The second was in the fourth quarter, when the Eagles led 40-14 and their second-team offense went three-and-out.

It was a welcome boost to a team that has struggled since routing winless Park Place 46-0 on Sept. 14. PCA had lost four in a row since then, three of them by 27 points or more.

“Except for Ben’s Ford (a 40-28 win on Sept. 28), this is the second game we’ve played a full game. When we do that, we always come up with a win,” Harris said.