In the half-century of Prince Edward Academy/Fuqua School, the football team has never boarded a bus to go lose a game.

That's not about to start Friday night, when the Falcons travel to Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot for the Virginia Independent High Schools Division IV Football Championship game (7 p.m. Barham-Sowers Field, Powhatan).

But Fuqua will have a tough task, as it faces the Knights, who are defending their 2009 Division III title. After losing to Division III favorite North Cross (32-28) in the second week of the season, Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot took its frustrations out on the rest of its schedule by out-scoring its remaining nine opponents 373-30.

“I'd consider them to be one of the top five teams in the [VISFA] regardless of division,” said FS head coach Skeeter Fore. “They're an outstanding team, and we're going to have to do everything perfectly if we want to win Friday night.”

A little over a month ago, BS-H defeated the Falcons 39-0 at Gilmer Field, and stymied FS junior quarterback Charles Williams in the process. Williams was held to just 37 yards on 11 carries, and tailback Larry Haskins accounted for 44 yards on ten rushing opportunities.

A couple of early turnovers and a missed opportunity early in the third quarter made things easier for the visiting Knights, who dampened Fuqua's homecoming.

“We didn't stop them, but we gave them some short fields too,” said Fore. “We've got to find a way to do a better job of holding onto the ball. Not only in avoiding turnovers, but in controlling the time of possession.”

That can be an issue with the Falcons, who can score from any point on the field if Williams is able to get into the defensive secondary.

Controlling the number of plays BS-H runs will be a key, but the Knights have proven to be capable of getting an early cushion and cruising in the rest of the way, while trying to practice as much restraint as possible – despite what is sometimes a vast difference in talent on the field.

John Moore leads the Knights offensively with 1092 yards and 21 touchdowns on just 96 carries, while Deon Watts has compiled 963 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season on just 87 carries.

BS-Huguenot doesn't throw the ball much. No need, but Brian Clarke is 12-21 for 239 yards and four touchdowns to lead BS-H passers on the season.

Fuqua offensively, is led by Williams, who will be looking to break the 2,000-yard plateau in rushing yards this Friday. He has 1,927 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns on just 141 carries (175.2 yards per game, and 13.7 yards per carry). Overall, he has accounted for 38 touchdowns on the season (six passing, a fumble return, an interception return and a kickoff return).

Haskins, meanwhile, has rushed for 850 yards and 11 touchdowns on 127 carries, and has 14 total touchdowns (a reception, a kickoff and a punt return).

“We've got to make sure we take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. At the same time, we can't give them anything.”

BS-Huguenot is a heavy favorite, but Fuqua has proven over the balance of the season to be the Division IV team that's most capable of challenging the Knights for the title. A lot of things will have to go right for the Falcons, but Fuqua didn't get to the state title game by accident. Two of Fuqua's last three games have gone down to the wire. The later the Falcons push the issue, the more comfortable things will be for them.