Nearly two years to the day since they last walked off the field a winner, the Porters Chapel Academy Eagles got to do it in front of a homecoming crowd.

An interception by senior Andrew Screws at the end of the third quarter led to a game-clinching touchdown pass as PCA beat Benton Academy 21-7 on Friday night.

PCA (1-8) snapped a 16-game losing streak that dated to early in the 2015 season, when it got a forfeit win over Riverdale. Its last victory on the field was on Oct. 24, 2014 against Park Place.

“They came out and they executed, and they played the way we’ve been trying to get them to play all year,” PCA coach Blake Purvis said. “They fought. They overcame a 7-0 deficit early. Defense played phenomenal. The offense got the ball moving. We didn’t put our defense in bad positions. Our special teams played great. Overall it was a good effort for us.”

Purvis said Screws’ interception was the biggest play of the game because the Raiders were on their way to scoring. It led to the 17-yard touchdown pass from Jake Arias to Garrett Hutchins with 10:11 left in the fourth quarter that made it 21-7.

“At that point, if he does not pick that pass off, it probably goes for a touchdown,” Purvis said. “They had it set up great, he was just sitting there. That was probably the biggest play of our game.”

The game was dead even at halftime, with the teams tied at 7, but after a few halftime adjustments the Eagles took control in the second half.

“The guys kept battling. They kept coming back. It was pretty even up until halftime. We made a couple of adjustments, as did they,” Purvis said. “But ultimately our guys up front, they came out and they got it done. Those five linemen, we leaned on them tonight and they let us. Our perimeter blocking was good. Overall just a great effort by our offense that we haven’t seen this year.”

The Eagles’ first score came with 30 seconds left in the first half. Six running plays for 26 yards ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Brayden Ray.

“When we went in this locker room at halftime, everybody was on their feet, and not just happy with their own accomplishments, but standing up and clapping everybody’s hands,” Hutchins said. “Everybody in the locker room was saying ‘we.’”

The Eagles pulled away in the third quarter. The half started with a long 13-play drive going 64 yards. Wade Dickard ran the final six yards into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:30 left in the third quarter.

After Screws’ interception, the Eagles had the ball on Benton’s 27-yard line and ran it four times before Arias’ 17-yard TD pass to Hutchins.

“It’s a huge third down play. We had run it earlier in the game. We knew he was wide open. The quarterback actually tried to get it to him earlier and the ball slips out and is fumbled,” Purvis said. “But we came back, we had a good spot on the field to run it on third down in plus territory and called it again and they execute it.”

Benton Academy had two more possessions but turned it over on downs both times. The Raiders scored their first and their only touchdown of the night with 1:42 left in the first quarter on a 13-yard run by Cody Prescott.

“It’s a good win. You always like to win your homecoming game with alumni back,” Purvis said. “Ultimately it’s a good win for us moving forward. We finally got back to as healthy as we’ve been all year. We showed what we’re capable of doing when we’re close to full strength. It’s always good when games are played in honor and in memory for the guys to come out and lay it on the line to get the job done.”