After winning its first real game in nearly two years, Porters Chapel Academy will try to do something it hasn’t done in almost three — put together a winning streak.

The Eagles (1-8, 0-2 District 5-AA) head to Liberty to face Amite School Center (3-6, 0-2) in their season finale Friday. PCA was long ago eliminated from the playoff race, but can build some momentum heading into the offseason with a win. It has not won consecutive games since a three-game streak that spanned the end of the 2013 and start of the 2014 seasons.

“A win this week could turn our whole offseason around,” PCA coach Blake Purvis said. “You come off two wins, with a young team, and you see what you’re capable of doing. You know you’re returning the majority of the team and it gives them a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s something to work for through the summer.”

PCA had shown promise at times this season. Its defense held strong in several early losses, but injuries and offensive ineptitude gradually led to more and more lopsided scores.

Finally, everything clicked last week against Benton Academy. The defense held the Raiders to a single touchdown and forced a key turnover in the third quarter that led to a game-clinching score. The offense put up a season-high 21 points — it had scored a total of 34 in its first eight games — as running backs Wade Dickard and Carter White combined for more than 100 rushing yards.

The injury situation also settled out. At one point during its eight-game losing streak to start the year, PCA had 11 players sidelined with various ailments. Last Friday, that number was down to a handful and the team was able to fully utilize for the first time a large roster that had been stretched thin.

“When we’re getting some depth and getting healthier, we’ve seen some improvements because we’ve been able to do more at practice,” Purvis said. “Friday, it showed. We were able to play some guys one way and keep them fresh. You could definitely tell the guys that were playing one way. But even the guys that were playing both ways got stronger because of experiencing success.”

For the first time this season, the Eagles have also had success in the passing game. Quarterback Jake Arias was an efficient 12-of-20 for 89 yards and a touchdown two weeks ago against Wilkinson County Christian, and he threw another touchdown pass in the win over Benton.

Arias was only 3-of-6 passing against Benton, but Purvis said that was enough to loosen up the defense and open lanes for the running backs.

“We only threw six passes, but we did enough in key situations on those six passes to loosen them up and control the ball and run it,” Purvis said. “That’s who we are. We need to have a little bit of success in the passing game to pick up some third-and-longs and get back to our bread and butter.”

With everything coming together at last, and an apparently mediocre Amite team the last game on the schedule, the Eagles might be poised for another win. Amite has played its share of tough teams, like PCA has, which could make its 3-6 record deceiving. The Rebels have only scored more than 14 points in two of their nine games, though, which could put the game in PCA’s wheelhouse of a low-scoring defensive battle.

“I don’t as much look at the records as being a good shot to win a game, because records are deceiving with the way schedules are set up,” Purvis said. “Amite is a good, solid football team. They’re built around the run. We’re going to have to stop the run to beat them. They bring a lot of physicality and you have to be prepared for that, regardless of their record.”

Friday’s local games

All games start at 7 p.m.

Porters Chapel at Amite School (Radio: 104.5 FM)

Clinton at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)

Canton at Vicksburg (Radio: 1490 AM/107.7 FM)

St. Aloysius at Riverfield (Radio: 101.3 FM)

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