The St. Aloysius Flashes have played their best football of the season over the past four weeks. Now it’s time to see if that’s good enough to beat the best.

On Friday night, the Flashes begin a tough three-game stretch that includes games against the two teams tied for first place in Region 4-1A and a Hinds AHS squad that barely lost to both of them. It all starts with a road trip to Stringer (6-1, 5-0 Region 4-1A), which is ranked No. 4 in this week’s Mississippi Associated Press Class 1A poll.

“You’ve got to play them sometime. All together or separate, it doesn’t matter,” St. Al coach B.J. Smithhart said. “When you have nine district games, they’re all grouped up and everybody goes through it.”

St. Al (2-5, 2-3) has won two of its last three games after an 0-4 start and is currently in sixth place in the 10-team region. It needs plenty of help to make the playoffs, but is still mathematically alive. In addition to winning the rest of their games, the Flashes need Salem, Cathedral and Dexter — the teams directly above them in the standings — to each lose multiple times in the last four weeks of the season.

Smithhart smiled at the mention of his team being part of a playoff race, then tried to brush it aside just as quickly. He said there’s too many scenarios and too much time left in the season to worry about anything more than the task at hand.

“We’re worried about Stringer. That’s a big enough challenge for us,” Smithhart said with a laugh. “You just worry about yourself. Whatever else happens, happens.”

Stringer, which has won five straight games, can clinch a playoff spot with a victory over St. Al,

combined with a loss by fifth-place Cathedral to Bogue Chitto on Friday night. Stringer beat Cathedral in September and thus would win the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two, even if it loses its last three games.

Victories by both Bogue Chitto (7-0, 5-0) and Stringer on Friday would also put Bogue Chitto into the playoffs. Bogue Chitto, ranked No. 1 in this week’s Class 1A poll, plays St. Al on Oct. 26.

How Stringer got into position to claim an early ticket to the postseason is no secret. The Red Devils use a smashmouth, run-heavy offense that breaks opponents’ will. They’ve run the ball 328 times this season, thrown it only 42, and are averaging 331.9 rushing yards per game.

“They’re not going to wow you with trick plays,” Smithhart said. “They run three or four basic plays, throw some stuff off it, and do it really well.”