Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s football team had a plan, followed it to the letter and walked away with a 51-6 home win against Virginia Episcopal School on Friday night.

The Saints’ first five possessions ended in touchdowns, and they held a 38-0 lead at halftime.

“That’s as good a first half as we’ve played in five years here,” NSA coach Lew Johnston said. “Both sides of the ball just went after it.”

While Nansemond-Suffolk held a 70-0 lead at halftime on Sept. 11, it was against a tremendously outmatched and struggling Fredericksburg Christian School team.

Johnston noted that Virginia Episcopal has a good squad.

“They’ve got some size, they’re well-coached, but we just executed and just dominated them,” he said.

The Saints accumulated 483 yards of total offense, 360 of which came on the ground.

“Of course, Noah’s always a threat,” Johnston said of senior running back Noah Giles, who had 15 carries for 156 yards, three touchdowns and two 2-point conversions.

“I thought Cole Christiansen and KeShaun (Moore) ran hard at fullback,” Johnston said. “We knew they were going to give us some things there, and we took advantage of that.”

Moore, a junior, had two carries for 32 yards and a score, while senior Cole Christiansen had three carries for 28 yards and a 2-point conversion.

Also bolstering the Saints rushing attack was sophomore Jordan Houston, who ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on three carries, and senior Graham Moore, who had four carries for 33 yards and a touchdown.

“I was pleased with Robby Tew, the way he threw the ball tonight,” Johnston said of his sophomore quarterback. “His decisions were much better.”

Tew went 4-for-6 passing for 96 yards and one touchdown, a 51-yard connection with senior wide receiver Noah Serianni.

“Up front, our line is maturing,” Johnston said, praising seniors Ben Anderson, Jack Johnson and Eric Teumer, juniors Ian Brads and Edwards Morgan and sophomore Chris Murphy. “We really executed well tonight.”

On defense, NSA held the Bishops to 110 yards of total offense and made life difficult for Virginia Episcopal senior running back George Battle. He scored his team’s lone touchdown on a 42-yard run, but finished with only 78 yards rushing on 24 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry.

The Saints defense benefited from the first appearance this season by senior Daniel Griffith, a Western Branch High School transfer and NCAA Division I recruit who had been out with a hamstring injury.

“He played the whole first half at linebacker, had numerous plays, had a couple of college scouts here, and they loved him,” Johnston said.

Griffith finished with four tackles, senior linebacker Connor King led Nansemond-Suffolk with seven tackles, while Christiansen had six.

For the first time this season, the Saints are completely healthy, or “about as close as we’re going to be,” Johnston said. “So it came just at the right time. Big one next week.”

Nansemond-Suffolk (3-1) hosts Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School next Friday night.