Windsor’s defense did a great job of stopping the run in its 37-0 win over Charles City last Friday.

The Panthers rushed for just 26 yards on the night. This enabled Windsor’s defense to unload on quarterback Trevor Jones and play way tighter in the secondary.

Although the Dukes allowed a few large gains through the air, the defense made adjustments. With Windsor leading just 3-0 late in the second quarter, the Dukes had two consecutive sacks that accounted for 20 yards in Charles City losses on a drive where the Panthers were actually moving the ball. Later in that drive, Windsor’s C.J. Little picked off a pass at the Windsor 25-yard line with 32 seconds to play in the half. That killed any momentum the Panthers might have had going into the half.

Jon Speight made a key defensive play in the third quarter, which set up a Windsor touchdown. Speight picked off a pass by Jones at about the Windsor 45 and raced down to the Charles City 25. In the fourth quarter, Mark Fenner did the same thing, but scored on his interception.

■ Is there anyone who thought Franklin wasn’t going to take it out on rival Surry County last Friday after the Broncos lost a heartbreaker to Colonial Beach two weeks ago? Franklin man-handled the Cougars and is still in good shape for the postseason. Franklin has two big dates left on the schedule: home against Sussex Central on Oct. 31 and home against Windsor on Nov. 7.

■* Speaking of Colonial Beach, the Drifters knocked off King William 26-22 last Friday. Washington & Lee beat Lancaster 30-21. The results of both of these games helps Windsor’s playoff chances. Last week, King William was in a fourth-place tie with Lancaster in the Group A Region A Division 2 standings, while Windsor stood at third.

■ Southampton Academy’s 37-18 loss to Carlisle School last Friday was a big blow to the Raiders’ playoff chances. The team now has three losses and faces its two toughest opponents — Isle of Wight Academy and Blessed Sacrament Huguenot — the last two weeks of the season.

■ The Southampton High School defense has played well the last two weeks. The Indians have given up an average of just 13 points over the last two games. Expect the same or better this week against New Kent, which is averaging only about 15 points per game.

■ It has been a history-making season for the Chowan University football team, and Saturday the squad reached another milestone. The Hawks won their first-ever CIAA game, 41-20 over Livingstone College. Better yet, it was homecoming. Livingstone came into the game 3-0 in the CIAA.

Perhaps the difference in this win and some other games for Chowan is that the Hawks were able to balance the offense. Chowan has been relying a lot on the pass, but Saturday it rushed for a season-high 211 yards and passed for 205 yards.

Chowan’s defense forced six turnovers, which also helped.

■ Timmy Songer, a graduate of Windsor High School, is playing soccer this fall for Randolph College. The Wildcats are 7-6 so far, and Songer has been a contributor. Songer has started all 13 games and has scored four goals. Of particular note, Songer netted two second-period goals to propel Randolph to a 3-2 Old Dominion Athletic Conference win over host Emory and Henry College.