By J.J. Lidington

Special to the News-Herald

Isle of Wight Academy’s football team sprinted to an early lead against Brunswick Academy and never looked back, defeating the Vikings 46-8 Friday night at Hooper Field.

By the time the first quarter expired, the Chargers had racked up a 40-0 lead on perfect passing by senior quarterback Bryce Casey and contributions from his talented receivers and running backs.

Casey finished the game 6-for-6 for 165 yards passing with three touchdowns. Eleven IWA backs carried the ball in the game. The leading rusher was freshman Hunter Edwards, a second-half substitute who finished the game with 83 yards on eight carries.

Brunswick was held to 98 yards of total offense by an IWA defense that was keyed by junior linebacker Zachary Hinson’s 10 tackles. Freshman defensive back Ryan Boyce had four tackles; four other Chargers had three each.

IWA needed only 11 plays from scrimmage to amass its first-quarter advantage. Casey got the scoring started when he found senior wide receiver Chad McCann over the middle of the field for a 65-yard touchdown pass on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

After a four-and-out by Brunswick, the Chargers went 57 yards in four plays, capped by senior running back Alec Edwards’ scoring run from the Viking 4-yard line.

Another four-down series by Brunswick gave Isle of Wight the ball at the Vikings 45. Casey handed off to senior running back Will Morningstar for 10 yards, then found speedy receiver Curtis Waters, another senior, for a 35-yard touchdown.

IWA freshman Alex Stidham had a 27-yard punt return after yet another abbreviated Brunswick drive, returning the ball to the Vikings 33-yard line. On the next play, Casey hit Alec Edwards for a 28-yard gain then handed off to junior running back Donald King for a 5-yard touchdown scamper.

Brunswick failed to get a first down on its next drive and committed two procedure penalties inside its 5-yard line. The ensuing punt was blocked, and Chargers senior lineman Nick Dombrowski returned it to the Brunswick 1.

Casey found senior tight end Matt Byrd in the end zone for a 1-yard pass play. Freshman kicker Tray Powell’s extra point made the score 40-0.

Brunswick’s only score of the night came on a 56-yard run by sophomore running back Jackson Combs, marking the Vikings’ only incursion into Charger territory.

Isle of Wight ran its record to 3-1 on the season. The Chargers play 3-0 Richmond Christian School of Chesterfield Friday night at Hooper Field.