Through two games, Porters Chapel Academy’s football team has developed two very distinct personalities.

On defense, the Eagles have been great. They haven’t allowed a point in the first half, have six takeaways and a half-dozen sacks, and are plus-four in turnover margin.

On offense, they haven’t been so great. The Eagles have not yet scored a point and have accumulated less than 200 total yards.

It’s a strange split — despite most of the same players being involved — that is baffling coach Blake Purvis, and one he’s trying to fix heading into Friday’s road game at Central Hinds.

“The offense, we’ve been running this since May. The defense, we didn’t put in until the middle of July,” said Purvis, who is in his first season at PCA. “It is a little bit weird and hard to understand why we’re struggling on our assignments.”

Thanks to the way they’ve played on defense, the Eagles have been in both of their losses. They didn’t give up a point until late in the third quarter in the opener against St. Andrew’s, and then followed a nearly identical path against Glenbrook.

Glenbrook beat PCA 21-0, but hardly dominated the game. Its first touchdown was a 54-yard run and its second came when it was gifted the ball by a PCA fumble at the 11-yard line. The last came on an interception return.

PCA picked off three passes and had three sacks — two by lineman McKinley Skipper — as it kept the game close until the waning minutes.

“Defensively, it’s been phenmomenal,” Purvis said. “They played hard. We played lights out for all but one play, and it went for 60 yards and a touchdown. The other scores (Glenbrook) got were cheap. The guys know the schemes. They’ve been coachable and are making adjustments. It’s a completely different mindset from the offensive side of the ball.”

PCA will need another stout defensive effort this week when it takes on Central Hinds (2-0). The Cougars feature an explosive offense led by quarterback Tanner Leggett and sophomore running back Prentice Brown.

Leggett threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in a 36-0 win over Brookhaven Academy last week, while Brown rushed for 96 yards and a TD.

Central Hinds, though, might be a good matchup for PCA. Coach Lance Teasley said PCA’s defense is the type that makes opponents drive down the field instead of ripping off big plays, and his offense has struggled to do that so far.

“They do a good job of keeping everything in front of you, and do a good job of making you take snaps. In high school football, the more snaps you take the more likely you are to make a mistake,” Teasley said. “That’s going to be a point of emphasis for us this week. You’re not going to get the 40-yard touchdown passes like we have been.”

Central Hinds has outscored its first two opponents 71-0 and had four touchdowns of 30 yards or longer. Oddly, Teasley said he felt the team has struggled on offense. Some of the big plays have stemmed from missteps on first and second down, which leads to needing and getting a big play on third down.

“It’s frustrating to me, because we’ll put ourselves in position where we have to make that extreme call on third down,” Teasley said. “When we have to drive is when we begin to struggle.”

Overall, however, Teasley said he’s been happy with the Cougars’ performance thus far. There are three sophomores in the starting lineup and a couple more players with little to no varsity experience. Getting to this point undefeated while breaking in new players is a win on a lot of fronts.

“For us to be able to pull out two wins and get guys experience, we feel good about that situation,” Teasley said.

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES

All games start at 7 p.m.

Warren Central at Vicksburg (Radio: 105.5 FM and 1490 AM)

St. Al at Madison-St. Joe (Radio: 101.3 FM)

PCA at Central Hinds (Radio: 104.5 FM)

Tallulah Aca. at Unity Christian

Humphreys Academy at Rebul Academy

Port Gibson at Terry

General Trass at Madison Parish

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