With one impressive performance on Friday night, St. Aloysius ended two long streaks and took a big step closer to snapping a third.

Alvin Brown rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns, and Thomas Trichell had a 96-yard fumble return for a touchdown as the Flashes routed Catholic school rival Cathedral 45-15.

St. Al snapped a 17-game losing streak in non-district games that stretched back to 2015, as well as a nine-game skid against Cathedral (4-3) that dated to 2010.

“It’s like getting a monkey off your back and gets us in the playoff hunt,” St. Al coach Michael Fields said. “We just have to stay focused and not slip up.”

Perhaps more importantly, the win likely assured the Flashes of a wild card berth in the MAIS Class AAA playoffs. They finish the regular season with a pair of home games against winless Hillcrest Christian and Riverfield Academy.

St. Al (3-5) moved from 15th to 12th in the Class AAA power point rankings that determine wild card berths and playoff seeding. Sixteen teams qualify for the postseason.

“I feel a lot better,” Fields said. “If we take care of business next week, we can put it all on the line versus Riverfield.”

The Flashes turned in one of their best all-around performances of the season against their nemesis Cathedral. Trichell’s fumble return touchdown midway through the second quarter gave them a 14-7 lead and started a run of 31 straight points that extended into the third quarter.

Ryan Theriot had a 71-yard punt return to set up a touchdown, and the running of Brown — who did not play in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand — helped control the clock.

“I felt like it was a total team effort. All three phases made big plays,” Fields said. “I think we threw less tonight than we had all year, and that’s a good sign that we controlled the game.”