The Prince Edward County High School varsity football team could not stop Central Lunenburg High School on Friday night, and the visiting Chargers ran away with a 49-20 victory.

“Defensively, we were flat,” Eagles Head Coach James Ford said. “They pounded the ball at us, did a really good job of pounding the ball at us, and we just had no answer.”

Central gained 415 of its 454 yards of total offense on the ground.

Meanwhile, Prince Edward struggled to gain any traction in the running game, as most of its points came through the air.

The Chargers took a 14-6 lead after the first quarter and then scored 21 unanswered points in the second to lead 35-6 at halftime. They outscored the Eagles 14-8 in the third quarter to lead 49-14 going into the fourth.

The game was not without its opportunities for Prince Edward, but the only turnover it ultimately managed to create was near the end of the game.

“They did put the ball on the ground a couple of times, but we weren’t able to capitalize,” Ford said. “We weren’t able to pounce on it.”

The Eagles got on the scoreboard in the first quarter when senior Joel Thomas connected with senior Bryan Moses for a 70-yard pass play. In the third quarter, junior Aneal Walker scored on a 2-yard run.

Thomas connected with senior Brandon Scott in the fourth quarter on an 82-yard touchdown pass.

For the game, Thomas was 5-for-12 passing for 208 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Moses had two receptions for 110 yards and a score. Scott had three receptions for 127 yards, a touchdown, and he also had three kickoff returns for 106 yards.

Junior Zion Lewis was 2-for-2 passing for 45 yards, and he had three carries for 19 yards.

Walker registered 12 carries for 35 yards and a score.

On defense for Prince Edward, senior Rajai Walton led his team with 20 total tackles, two for a loss, plus two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Senior Arthur Wright added 15 total tackles, while senior Markeem Trent, senior D’Andre Bowler and junior Khalil Smith had six total tackles apiece.

The Eagles (1-3) visit Bluestone High School on Friday at 7 p.m.

In addition to getting healthy, “we’ve just got to get back to basics,” Ford said. On Friday, “defensively, we didn’t tackle as well as I would like for us to tackle, and offensively, we’ve got to run the ball.”