Porter’s Chapel Academy’s playoff path hinges almost entirely on next week’s MAIS District 3-2A championship game against Prairie View.

That means this week’s game vs. Wilkinson County Christian Academy is about little more than the pursuit of perfection.

The Eagles (9-0) are undefeated this late in a season for only the third time in school history. Getting to one goal, a perfect regular season, can’t happen without beating WCCA (3-5) in a game that is otherwise meaningless in the big picture.

“The goal every year is to win them all. Now you’re at this point, the guys are really believing in it,” PCA coach Blake Purvis said. “They’re past the midway point. They’ve got the playoffs ahead of them. They’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So continue to take it one game at a time and make your goal a reality.”

PCA does have one other reason for wanting to win this game. It has long struggled against Wilkinson Christian, with only two wins in 10 all-time meetings. WCCA won 36-32 when the teams played in Woodville last season.
Purvis compared the set-up to when the Eagles played Prentiss Christian earlier this season. Prentiss Christian crushed PCA 42-6 in 2022, and then the Eagles returned the favor with a 55-8 beatdown in August.

“It’s one of those games like Prentiss that we’ve had circled,” Purvis said. “We went down to WCCA last year and we had three or four guys out, two more that were fighting through sickness, so I think it’s one of those games that our guys are eager to get back on the field with them. Hate to use the word ‘revenge,’ but just show what we’re capable of when we’re at full strength.”

Porter’s Chapel has not only been at full strength this season, it has fired on all cylinders for most of it. Last week’s 44-42 victory over Sharkey-Issaquena was only the second time in nine games that an opponent stayed within 30 points.

Quarterback John Wyatt Massey has completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 1,152 yards and 25 touchdowns. He needs four more TDs to set PCA’s school record for a season, and five to break the career record.

Thomas Azlin has 13 touchdown receptions, which is only three away from the school’s season record.

Running back Jase Jung is also chasing history. He only needs two more rushing touchdowns to set PCA’s season record. Jung has 1,240 yards and 20 touchdowns.

PCA has not played any of the other Class 2A contenders, but has handed Class 1A powers Riverdale and Sharkey-Issaquena their only losses. Purvis said those wins show that this Eagles team is capable of much more than even what it’s accomplished so far.

“I think it validates what we’ve believed about our team all year long, that they can play with whoever they step on the field with,” Purvis said. “We talked about it back in July, if we stay healthy and stay on the field I think we can play with anybody. I think playing with one of those top teams is definitely proof that what we believed we could do, we actually can do it if we stick to our plan.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games start at 7 p.m.
Vicksburg at Warren Central (Radio: 107.7 and 105.5 FM)
St. Aloysius at Manchester (Radio: 101.3 FM)
Wilkinson County Christian at Porter’s Chapel (Radio: 104.5 FM)
Tallulah Academy at River Oaks
Sharkey-Issaquena Academy at Claiborne Aca.
Central Hinds at Tri-County
Clinton Christian at Port Gibson
Madison Parish at Mangham