by James J. Lidington

POWHATAN
Ryan Boyce passed for 101 yards and four touchdowns as Isle of Wight Academy topped Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot 48-0 here Friday.

IWA’s Odin Bristol caught three touchdowns and senior Josh Savage nabbed the fourth of Boyce’s scoring passes.

The Chargers allowed 32 yards of total offense by the Knights while amassing 284 of their own.

With a mammoth offensive line and running the single wing offense first popularized by football legend “Pop” Warner in the early 1900s, BSH posed a unique run-first threat for the Chargers coming into the game. But IWA countered with an aerial assault. Quarterback Ryan Boyce, held to just two passing yards in his previous game, opened by finding Hunter Edwards on a 20-yard pass play on his first play from scrimmage.

Seven plays and 63 yards later, Zack Stroud ran it in from a yard out. Tre Powell’s first of six successful PATs made it 7-0 with 8:24 left in the first quarter.

After a four-and-out by BSH, the first of a series of significant punt returns by IWA’s Colby Williams set the Chargers up with first down at the Knights’ 27-yard line. Four plays later, Boyce found Bristol for the first of his scoring grabs. Powell came on to make it 14-0.

After another abbreviated BSH possession, Boyce found Bristol streaking downfield for a 37-yard scoring strike. The Knights trailed 21-0 before their first first down in the second quarter.

Williams’ punt returns of 53 and 31 yards began the next two Charger drives. Bristol hauled in another Boyce pass and took it 11 yards, then the senior quarterback found Josh Savage from two yards out.

The ensuing PATs made the score 35-0.

The Knights’ deepest incursion into IWA territory occurred in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were set to take possession at midfield, but a player coughed up the football and BSH lineman Khadeis Battle hauled it in and ran the ball back to the IWA 15. BSH lost three yards in two plays then Savage intercepted a pass to end the threat. Isle of Wight scored again 3 minutes later when they pounced on a bobbled backwards BSH pass, giving the visitors a first down at the Knights’ 27.

Five plays later, Edwards ran in for the score from 6 yards away.

The Knights’ next possession also ended fruitlessly after two first downs resulted in a punt that Williams received and returned 22 yards to the Knights’ 20. Edwards’s second touchdown capped the drive three plays later.

Bristol led IWA (3-2) in tackles with 18. Edwards had 15; Alex Stidham, in only his second game removed from a concussion, had 13 stops. BSH dropped to 3-1 on the year.

With the win, IWA broke a two-game losing streak. They had previously lost on Sept. 17 to Nansemond-Suffolk Academy and two weeks ago to Fredericksburg Christian.

With two games in five days due to the effects of Hurricane Florence, IWA now has the week off before traveling to Broadwater for a game on Saturday, Oct. 6.

They will travel to Chatham for a game versus Hargrave on Friday, Oct. 12, host Christchurch on Friday, Oct. 19, in their 2018 homecoming matchup, and finish the season on Friday, Oct. 26, by hosting Fuqua.

JAMES J. LIDINGTON is a teacher at Isle of Wight Academy. He can be reached at 357-3866.