The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy football team fell to 1-3 Saturday after a 53-12 road loss to Perquimans High School.

The Saints (1-3) went on the road for the first time this season. After getting off to a good start in the first quarter, the Saints lost momentum the rest of the game. NSA had a 6-0 lead after the first quarter but didn’t score again until the fourth. The loss is the second in a row after their first win, and for the second game in a row the Saints allowed 50-plus points.

“That definitely wasn’t our best effort,” coach Mike Biehl said. “We are a very talented group, but no group is talented enough not to bring any energy with them. This game had nothing to do with athletic ability or skill level. We didn’t bring a solid effort for 48 minutes.”

NSA allowed 521 total yards, with 409 of them being rushing yards. The Saints knew that the Pirates liked to run the ball, but from an execution standpoint, NSA couldn’t get the defensive job done. Perquimans’ leading rusher was Dwuan Williams, who had 246 yards on 19 carries.

“They didn’t do anything we were not prepared for,” Biehl said. “We felt we put together a good game plan for lack of practice we had, but we didn’t get it done. A lot of it had to do with effort, and in some instances, we had poor tackling. When you mix those tough negatives together, it makes for a long day.”

Shaun Faulk led the way for the Saints with 46 receiving yards and 139 rushing yards totaling 185 all-purpose yardage. Quarterback Robby Tew completed three of his 10 passes for 69 yards with a touchdown to Keshaun Moore, but struggled running the ball, gaining -16 yards. Moore and Faulk scored the only touchdowns for the Saints.

“I feel like we didn’t play to the level of intensity we needed to play at,” senior Erek Smith said. “That led to us making mistakes that we can’t afford if we are expecting to win.”

Even though the score didn’t indicate it, the Saints felt they left opportunities on the field for them to capitalize on. NSA is confident in the skill players they possess and feels with more created opportunities, they can get the best out of them.

As a team, NSA did run for 189 yards while also passing for 112 yards, which is a reason they remain optimistic about putting together consistent performances to win games. Defensively, the team wants to make plays at crucial situations in the game and force more turnovers.

“The biggest thing for us to putting wins together is just simply giving everything we have,” Biehl said. “From a preparation standpoint throughout the week to live game situations, we have to give everything we have. Once we do that, I think even we will be surprised at how good we can be.”

“We haven’t played to the best of our ability yet,” Smith said. “Once we do that we’ll be a very hard team to beat.”

The record looks discouraging for the outsiders who are used to the Saints’ recent success, but players and coaches are confident that the losses wont affect their mindset. Next, for NSA, they return home to play St. Anne’s Belfield School at 7 p.m. Sept. 30.