Despite going into last week’s game against Blessed Sacrament Huguenot undefeated, Isle of Wight Academy will have plenty of work to do to regain a Virginia Independent Schools Division III football championship.

BSH was able to exploit some IWA weaknesses that other teams had not been able to do up to that point. The Chargers’ offensive line was manhandled during the 19-0 loss. IWA’s running game was slowed most of the evening, and quarterback Daniel Brown was under pressure all night from the BSH defense.

IWA is in a position now where it will probably have to win both of its remaining contests to get a home playoff game. North Cross and Roanoke Catholic both have just one loss. Those teams meet each other the last week of the regular season (Oct. 31), so one team will end up with at least two losses. If the Chargers win both games, they will likely finish second in the state, giving them a home game. If they lose a game, they will likely finish third or fourth and would have to play on the road.

■ Blessed Sacrament is an unusual place. The team has a real mascot — a person dressed up as a knight who rides a horse up and down the sideline when the team scores. Also, after Friday night’s win, the school shot off about five minutes worth of quality fireworks. I’ve never seen either of those things at a high school game.

■ After this week’s game against Nandua, Franklin has a huge contest against the suddenly resurgent Sussex Central on Oct. 31. If Franklin wants a home playoff game, it cannot afford another loss, as long as Colonial Beach keeps winning. The Drifters are 7-0 and will have a showdown of their own the last week of the regular season when they host West Point.

The latest AP Poll shows Colonial Beach is ranked sixth in the state among Group A teams and Franklin is No. 10.

The rankings for Group A Region A Division I are as follows: 1. Colonial Beach 21.9; 2. Franklin 19.6; 3. West Point 17.1; 4. Sussex Central 16.4. Top four go to the playoffs.

The rankings for Group A Region A Division 2 are as follows: 1. Washington & Lee 22.1; 2. Essex 20.9; 3. Windsor 17.0; 4. King William 15.3. Top four go to the playoffs.

■ Last week I mentioned Southampton’s improved defense. The Indians pitched a shutout Friday night against New Kent. The 5-3 Packers may be more of a challenge. Smithfield is averaging more than 21 points per game.

■ Chowan University was hammered by Shaw University 68-13 Saturday. The Bears had an incredible 653 total yards of offense. The Bears won the CIAA championship last year and are 5-1 in the CIAA this season.

■ Chowan’s men’s soccer team has struggled this season. The young team, which has 14 freshmen on the roster, is 0-17 and has scored just three goals all season. The women’s team is 6-9-1.

■ The Chowan men’s basketball team opens its regular season with a road game against Division I Campbell University on Nov. 15. The Hawks’ first home game is Nov. 18 against Barton College.