It's a new year with new quarterbacks but the same results for the Battlefield varsity football team.

The Bobcats picked up their 30th straight regular season win last Friday night in Norfolk with a 14-6 victory over Lake Taylor, a team BHS topped at home to kick off its season last year in Haymarket.

For Battlefield, a team that has not lost a game since opening day 2007, rushing proved to be key to the game and appears to be the heart of the group's offensive attack given its experience in the backfield.

"The whole plan of the night was to just run the ball," said Battlefield coach Mark Cox.

His team scored on the bookends of the game. Senior back Nagee Jackson plowed into the end zone on the Bobcats' opening drive of the first quarter on a 2-yard hand-off from starting QB Devon Greene that gave Battlefield a quick 7-0 lead following Jason Hoepker's successful extra point.

Leading 7-6 inside the final 60 seconds of the fourth quarter, Battlefield put the game away when second-half QB Ryan Swingle hooked up with senior Bobo Beathard on a 9-yard touchdown pass. Hoepker's second extra point of the day provided the Bobcats with their winning margin.

The completed pass proved to be an anomaly not just for Battlefield, but for Lake Taylor too as neither team excelled at consistently passing. Battlefield's Greene and Swingle, who alternated halves, threw a combined 3-for-6 (25 yards) while Lake Taylor's first-year starting QB Donovan Powell only launched four passes all game.

"Oh, there was no ratio other than we were going to try to run the ball," said Cox, referring to the statistical difference between passing and rushing. "We didn't throw the ball well. And Devon never had to run. We just let Nagee and Cedric (Agyeman) do all the work."

Battlefield and Lake Taylor both rushed 40 times each with the Bobcats collecting 184 yards to the Titans' 193. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior back Agyeman led BHS with 96 yards on the ground.

Though his three completions went for considerably more yardage (82) than Battlefield's, Powell's main threat came on the running game where he picked up 58 yards and the team's sole touchdown in the second quarter as an option back.

Battlefield junior Andrew Smith blocked the Lake Taylor extra point attempt, which put an exclamation point on a solid day for the BHS special teams and defense.

"Our special teams were great," said Cox, adding that his boys had "no issues" on that side of the ball.

The head coach did not have much to worry about defensively either as Battlefield forced two turnovers on fumbles. That included one caused by Beathard at the BHS 5 yard line in the first half, which halted a potential scoring drive for the Titans.

According to Cox, "Passing is the thing to work on but if you've got the running game working, you don't have to rely on it so much. And when the running game is working, that will open up some of the passing game."

Cox specifically mentioned the play-action pass attack as a potential weapon. Swingle's touchdown pass to Beathard came "because we ran the ball so well," he said. He further mentioned that "We have to get better on the offensive line on the passing" plays, something the coach said will happen as the new-look line gains experience.

"Hopefully, they just get better each week," said Cox.