It was somewhat of a question Friday night which was more impressive; Nansemond-Suffolk’s defense, their offense or the weather they and their hardy fans endured on a cold, rainy homecoming night.

Through the rain, wind and mud, NSA improved to 5-2 with a dominating 35-6 win over rival Norfolk Academy.

In the process, the Saints watched as senior running back Will Crenshaw surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, going for a total of 254 on the night and collecting one touchdown.

“We know coming in that everyone is going to scheme against Will and our offensive line takes it as a challenge, as an honor, to go out there and clear the way for him,” Saints head coach Kevin Allen said. “It doesn’t matter which level of football you play in. To get 1,000 yards in just seven games is impressive.”

Crenshaw racked up his 254 yards on 26 carries and led the Saints offense who overall churned up 412 yards of total offense, while their defense held Norfolk Academy to just 179 yards.

“Week in and week out we are going out there and looking to improve,” Allen said. “And, each week, we are finding something else that we need to work on. But, in the end, we got the win and that is the most important.”

Allen and his coaching staff were also able to get a number of younger players in the game as the score was well without reach midway through the second half.

“We were able to get a lot of our younger players in the game to get them some work,” Allen said. “That is so important to our program because that is our future.”

But when the starters were in the game, Norfolk Academy was unable to do much of anything on offense. In the first half alone, the NSA defense was able to hold the Bulldogs to just 31 yards of total offense.

The Saints got on the board on their first drive, going 76 yards on 10 plays for a touchdown. The drive was capped off by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Domonique Lennon to Josh Todd. The extra point attempt failed, giving NSA an early 6-0 lead.

After trading possessions with the Bulldogs, the Saints were able to extend their lead as they took their first possession of the second quarter 45 yards on seven plays. This time Lennon finished off the drive, diving head first into the end zone from one yard out. Crenshaw ran the ball in from three yards out to convert the 2-point conversion, giving NSA a 14-0 lead with 6:49 left in the first half.

Neither team could get on the board in the third quarter, but NSA struck quickly in the fourth as Crenshaw took the ball around left end for a 46-yard touchdown run at the 10:38 mark of the fourth quarter. The run capped off a drive that saw four runs by Crenshaw, covering 72 yards. Bobby Lamm connected on the extra point, leaving the score 21-0.

NSA would score again on their next possession, this time with Ryan May ending the drive with a 23-yard run with 7:17 left in the game. Lamm again converted, giving NSA an overwhelming 28-0 lead.

Norfolk Academy would get their lone points on the night, going 54 yards on six plays. The Bulldogs starting fullback ended the drive, running right up the middle for an 18-yard score with 4:30 remaining. The extra point attempt failed.

But, NSA would preserve their large point margin, going 73 yards on just four plays for their final touchdown of the evening. Leading the way for the Saints on this drive was senior tailback Kenny Rice, who accounted for 55 yards on the drive, including the final six yards, going around right end for the score. The extra point by Lamm ended the scoring at 35-6.