NATCHEZ — The pressure might be a little lower for the Trinity Episcopal Saints, but they’re still feeling some as they go for the MPSA Class AA State Championship.

By winning their tournament first round game over Canton Academy, the Saints have assured themselves a spot in the MPSA Overall Tournament by being one of the final four teams in the Class AA tourney.

The Saints will take on Columbia Academy in the semifinals of the tournament at 7:15 Friday night.

“(Winning over Canton) does take some pressure off,” Trinity coach David King said. “The benchmark for this program is getting to the Overall Tournament. That go home game is stressful and we got that one out of the way.”

Now that their trip to the Overall Tournament is secure, the Saints will focus on winning the Class AA Championship.

And to do that, King says they will continue to have to play great defense.

“We’ve been holding our opponents to about 20 to 25 points below their season average and that’s key for us,” King said. “We are a defensive-minded team. We have a bunch of football players who have to battle with the basketball powers who have very skilled basketball players. We pride ourselves on having defensive teams.”

Trinity’s run to the Overall Tournament and South State Championship it achieved last week is even more special because the Saints moved up in class this year, King said.

“With all the success we’ve had, people lose sight of the fact we moved up a class this year,” King said. “It’s a tribute to these kids and their hard work that we’ve made it to this point.”

King said that winning the state championship is a goal that the team set before the season began.

“We have the dream of winning that state championship,” King said. “We sat down and talked about it before the season began. And now we’re just one game away from playing for the state title.”