It did not matter that its homecoming game was moved from Friday to Monday due to weather. The Prince Edward County High School varsity football team was ready to play, and it handed a 40-6 defeat to Amelia County High School on Monday.

“It was the absolute first game that we actually put it all together — offense, defense, special teams,” Eagles Head Coach James Ford said. “Our guys were focused. It was a great performance all the way around.”

Helping account for this focus was a back-to-basics approach in practice following a 41-0 road loss to Goochland High School on Sept. 30.

“We just went back to running the ball,” Ford said. “We focused on blocking a whole lot this last week, especially after the Goochland game left a sour taste in our mouth. We really thought we should have played better. We thought we played better than the score indicated.”

Prince Edward had some important success running the ball Monday. After helping his team go up 7-0 in the first quarter, junior Zion Lewis made the score 13-0 just past midway through the second on a 5-yard run, set up by a 30-yard run from senior Brandon Scott.

On the final play of the first half, Eagles senior Rajai Walton looked like he might have added six more points on an approximately 70-yard interception return, but the official said he did not quite make it.

Both teams hurt themselves by penalties at times, and Prince Edward was in a 2nd-and-17 situation in its first possession of the third quarter when senior Bryan Moses leapt and grabbed a pass from senior Joel Thomas out of the air and raced for a 62-yard touchdown to help the Eagles go up 20-0.

Amelia managed to get on the scoreboard with 3:47 left in the third when a receiver got open behind the defense and scored on a 50-yard catch-and-run.

Scott took the ensuing kickoff to the Raider 12-yard line, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Thomas to junior Khalil Smith.

Lewis intercepted the ball on Amelia’s next possession, though the Eagles did not capitalize offensively.

The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession, after which Scott found the end zone via a 59-yard run on the first play of Prince Edward’s drive to help make it 34-6 with 10:38 to go in the game.

Eagles senior Trey Wright scored the final points of the game when he intercepted the Raiders quarterback and returned the ball approximately 85 yards for a score.

Happy to win in front of a large home crowd, Ford said he hopes it helps his team prepare for visiting Cumberland High School on Friday.