One of the quirks of high school football is that you don’t have to win every game to make the playoffs. Just the ones that count. It’s a fact the St. Aloysius Flashes know well — and one they’re banking on — as they prepare for their District 3-AAA opener Friday night.

St. Al goes on the road to play Hartfield Academy in a game neither can afford to lose. The Flashes (0-4) have seen their wild card chances dwindle with a four-game losing streak to start the season, while Hartfield (2-2) has already lost one district game.

“That’s definitely a big game. We can’t afford to fall behind in the district race and all that stuff,” St. Al coach BJ Smithhart said. “We know everything is still in front of us, but you can’t afford to lose any district game.”

This isn’t the first time St. Al has had to run the gauntlet in its district. Last season it lost all six of its non-district games, but went a perfect 4-0 within the league to win the title and clinch an automatic playoff berth. Its only win during a 1-6 start was a 41-21 rout of Hartfield.

Perhaps drawing on that experience, Smithhart didn’t seem to be stressing about the Flashes’ rocky 0-4 start to this season.

“Right now we feel like everything is going to work itself out,” he said. “As long as you’ve got it in your hands, that’s the best way to do it. You don’t want to get to the end of the season and be in a situation where you need to win and need somebody else to lose.”

If there is an upside to the first month of St. Al’s season, it’s that it has shown signs of life and been competitive. It has scored 26 or more points twice, and three of its four losses have been by seven points or less.

Sophomore quarterback Antonio Thompson has emerged as a solid young player and taken over the starting duties. Brandon Teller was slated to be the starter heading into the season, but an injury to his throwing hand suffered the day of the first game has limited him in that role.

In some ways, Smithhart said, it’s worked out. Teller is also the team’s best receiver and the school’s all-time leader in receiving yardage. With Tyler Lewis (eight receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown) on the other side, and Thompson becoming a dual threat to run or throw — he’s the team’s leading rusher — it’s helped the Flashes find the right combination of talent on offense.

“(Teller) is really good at receiver. He’s a good quarterback, too. I just think it makes us a better offense when he’s at receiver,” Smithhart said. “If he didn’t have that injury to his hand, he’d play more quarterback. He’s catching the ball just fine. He can run and make some plays.”

So can Hartfield.

The Hawks are coming off a 28-7 loss to Manchester Academy, but scored 37 and 44 points the previous two weeks in wins against Benton Academy and Hillcrest Christian.

Smithhart said the Hawks are a deep, experienced team that’s improved from last year’s 3-7 finish, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes — which means the Flashes can’t, either.

“Hartfield has 17 seniors and they’re playing well together. They’re not going to beat themselves,” Smithhart said. “They’ve got a new coach and a new system. They run the veer, and everything is up under center. They were out of the shotgun last year. They play solid defense and stay in the game.”

FRIDAY’S AREA GAMES

All games start at 7 p.m.

Trinity at Porters Chapel (Radio: 104.5 FM)

St. Al at Hartfield Aca. (Radio: 101.3 FM)

Natchez at Vicksburg (Radio: 1490 AM)

Rebul Academy at Franklin Academy

Sharkey-Issaquena at Delta Streets

Humphreys Academy at Tallulah Academy

Wilkinson Christian at Central Hinds

McComb at Port Gibson

Opelousas at Madison Parish

Online: For live scoring updates on Friday, visit twitter.com/vixpostsports or facebook.com/thevicksburgpost