By James J. Lidington

Special to the News-Herald

Isle of Wight Academy’s football team scored 55 unanswered points in defeating Fuqua School 55-7 in Farmville on Friday night.

Chargers junior running back Donald King scored three times, twice on touchdown runs and once via punt return. Senior wide receiver Curtis Waters added two more touchdowns with one as a rusher and another as a receiver. Senior quarterback Bryce Casey was 10-for-13, passing for 180 yards.

The win shook up the standings in Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division IV play. Coming into the game, Fuqua was ranked No. 1, IWA No. 3. In the latest state football ratings released on Monday, the schools swapped spots.

Friday’s game looked to be a back-and-forth affair in the early going. Fuqua’s first possession was a 14-play, 57-yard event which concluded with a one-yard scoring plunge by senior Tyler Frink, who finished the game with 54 yards on 23 carries.

The Chargers could not get anything going on their first possession, and Fuqua next managed just 18 yards on seven plays and had to punt, too.

A Falcon punt gave IWA the ball on its own 38. Aided by a 15-yard Falcons facemask infraction, Isle of Wight’s first touchdown came four plays later when King ran it in from nine yards out.

After Fuqua’s next possession fizzled, they punted in King’s direction. The speedy junior fielded it and rambled 70 yards for another score.

Fuqua (4-2) went four-and-out on their next drive, setting up a 51-yard, six-play IWA drive ending with yet another King run, one from four yards away.

Waters and Casey hooked up on the Chargers’ next drive. The senior play-caller found Waters in the flat and the fleet wideout beat several Falcons to the edge, racing 74 yards for the score.

Casey found senior wide receiver Chad McCann for a 30-yard scoring play on the Chargers’ next drive. The extra point by freshman Tray Powell made the score 35-7 at halftime.

Senior linebacker Alec Edwards led the stingy IWA defense with 12 tackles. Waters, also a defensive back, added nine and senior linebacker Will Morningstar added eight.

Isle of Wight (6-1) continues play against VISAA Division IV opponents on Friday when it hosts Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot Catholic School at Hooper Field.