SUFFOLK — King’s Fork senior Isiah Gilliam knew he had to have a big game.
Not just because it was senior night, but because his backfield mate and fellow senior Preston Hall III went down in the second quarter with a knee injury.
That left it up to Gilliam to carry the load, and he rushed for 152 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 5 King’s Fork over No. 8 Nansemond River 27-8 in the Battle of Suffolk. It also was a game where the Warriors were without star quarterback Tyrell Grant, who missed the game because of an injury he suffered last week.
“Everything I did in this game, I did it for him,” Gilliam said about Hall. “That’s my brother, and we’ve been through so much together. That man hasn’t done nothing but put in work all season. So everything I do from here on out, I do it for him.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs (9-1) got a break when a bad snap gave King’s Fork the ball deep in Nansemond River territory. One play later, Gilliam scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Bulldogs got another special-teams break a short time later when they blocked a punt and got the ball on the Nansemond River 5. Two plays later, Gilliam scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs didn’t get the two-point conversion, but led 13-0.
Gilliam carried that momentum into the second half when he broke a 15-yard touchdown run to help give King’s Fork a 19-0 lead.
Gilliam with his 3rd TD. This time from 15 yards out. King’s Fork 19, Nansemond River 0 pic.twitter.com/hGCPTcbmJk
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) November 8, 2025
“I’m just really proud of Isiah Gilliam, and our offensive line did an amazing job up front,” King’s Fork coach Anthony Joffrion said. “It was just a hard, gritty win. Special teams and defense played well. It was a great team win. I’ll be excited to see how these power rankings turn out,””
Nansemond River made the game interesting in the second half when backup quarterback Rylan Welton threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Gilmer to get the Warriors on the scoreboard.
The Warriors (7-3) were driving in the fourth quarter and had a chance to cut the deficit to three points, but couldn’t convert on fourth down on the King’s Fork 27.
“We didn’t win, but I thought the guys were resilient,” Nansemond River coach Alonzo Ricks Jr. said. “They played their butts off as best they could. Two special-team touchdowns, that hurt us, but we saw some fight in the second half. If they don’t score off of those special-teams plays, who knows what it would be.”
And if Nansemond River would have had Grant, it could have been a different game. It’s unknown whether Grant will be available for next week’s playoffs.
Gilliam scored his final touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Gilliam with his 4th TD. King’s Fork 27, Nansemond River 8 pic.twitter.com/kbo3TuhfaP
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) November 8, 2025
King’s Fork has now beaten Nansemond River four games in a row and five of the last six.
“You definitely can’t lose to Nansemond River when you’re at King’s Fork,” Joffrion said. “You just can’t do that.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
