Porter’s Chapel Academy’s 2023 football schedule had a lot of new opponents on it. One of the familiar faces is a game that’s circled.

PCA goes on the road Friday to play Prentiss Christian, seeking to avenge a 42-6 loss that was one of the low points of last season. It’s also the Eagles’ first serious test after two easy wins, so it’s a chance to see how they measure up.

“It’s just personal because we didn’t play very well and we were not focused when we went down there,” PCA coach Blake Purvis said. “I think everybody’s ready. They’ve had this one circled on their calendar. Hopefully they prepare that way this week and keep that mindset, and just continue to do what we’ve done the last two weeks.”

Porter’s Chapel’s loss to Prentiss Christian was the first of three in a row to finish the 2022 regular season. Porter’s Chapel had minus-3 rushing yards and did not score until late in the fourth quarter.

Purvis said several factors contributed to it, but it boiled down to a lack of focus. The hunger to play Prentiss Christian this time isn’t so much a desire for revenge, as it is to avenge their own failures.

“We’ve got to mentally prepare better than we did last year. I don’t think we were focused and mentally prepared for that game and it got away from us early,” Purvis said. “We were on a semi-shortened roster with some injuries and different things, but we’ve just got to lock in and be ready to take care of our business.”

For the past two weeks, the Eagles have definitely been locked in. They’ve scored 124 points in wins over River Oaks and Delta Academy to achieve the program’s first 2-0 start since 2013. The last time it was 3-0 was 2011, and getting there against a solid team like Prentiss Christian would be a big accomplishment.

Prentiss Christian reached the second round of the MAIS Class 2A playoffs in 2022.

“If we can continue to do what we’ve done, it’ll be a big step forward,” Purvis said. “Prentiss can be a real good football team. They’re a second-round playoff team from last year. They’ve got a lot of guys returning and we’ve got to go on the road again. It’s a lot of things that we haven’t seen through the first two weeks. If we pull it all together and go down there focused, it could be a big point in our season.”

PCA has gotten contributions across the board on offense. Five players have scored a touchdown so far, and quarterback John Wyatt Massey was a perfect 8-for-8 passing for 163 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 58-8 rout of Delta Academy.

“I think it makes it difficult for people putting a game plan together for us. It’s not one guy that can do it. We’ve got a lot of weapons,” Purvis said. “John Wyatt threw the ball really well the other night. We’ve been working on our passing game to make it a more balanced attack, and I was really pleased with what he did. If we become two-dimensional and continue to play offense, defense and special teams I think there’s a lot of good things ahead.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES
All games begin at 7 p.m. unless noted
Porter’s Chapel at Prentiss Christian (Radio: 104.5 FM)
Holmes County Central at Vicksburg (Radio: 107.7 FM)
Clinton at Warren Central (Radio: 105.5 FM)
St. Aloysius at Cathedral (Radio: 101.3 FM), 7:30 p.m.
Franklin Academy at Tallulah Academy
Deer Creek at Sharkey-Issaquena Academy
Central Hinds at Amite School Center
Port Gibson at Murrah