Their first playoff hurdle cleared, the St. Aloysius Flashes have two more steps to go before getting a crack at the Class 1A championship.

The first one is a doozy.

The Flashes (11-1) hit the road on Friday night to take on Broad Street (8-3), a Region 2-1A rival who gave them one of their stiffest tests of the season, in a second-round Class 1A playoff game.

A berth in the North State championship game is at stake, and bragging rights in a developing rivalry.

“Everybody playing from here on out knows that it’s a tough game. We’re expecting a real emotional atmosphere and a good game,” St. Al coach BJ Smithhart said. “I think both sides respect each other, and we know each other well.”

St. Al won the first meeting between the teams, 40-30 on Sept. 26. Although the Flashes won by a comfortable margin, the game was highly competitive. St. Al blew an early 15-point lead and didn’t gain the upper hand until DeMichael Harris scored two touchdowns in the last 10 minutes.

“Last game felt a lot closer than the score was,” St. Al lineman Drake Dorbeck said. “I think they’re one of the biggest rivalries in our district. It’ll be a good game.”

Both teams feature high-powered read option offenses led by a mobile quarterback and powerful running back.

St. Al’s Harris and Connor Smith have combined for more than 2,500 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns, while Broad Street’s Danterris Greyer and Richard Horn III have nearly 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“They run the read option, and they run it really well,” Dorbeck said of Broad Street. “The quarterback will hold on until the last second and wait for you to bite, then he’ll bump it out. Our defensive ends have to stay wide and be ready for that.”

St. Al is trying to reach the Class 1A semifinals for the second straight season, and get another crack at reaching the state championship game for the first time since 1981. Either Shaw or Coffeeville await the St. Al-Broad Street winner, but that’s still a week — and 48 long minutes of football — away.

St. Al has been hungering since last year’s semifinal loss to Smithville for another chance. Beating Broad Street is the ticket to get it, and that’s a fact that’s not lost on Smithhart or his players.

“It’s definitely on everybody’s mind,” Smithhart said. “We try not to look ahead, but we know what we’re playing for. You want to be one of the best, you’ve got to win games like this.”