Backed by a dominant effort from its defense and special teams, which included two interceptions and two blocked punts, the Red Storm rolled past the Moriah Vikings 35-0 at the new Wilson Raymond Field.

Saranac Lake scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions — all from senior running back David Montroy — to build an early 21-0 lead and was never threatened the rest of the way. Montroy finished with 109 yards on 12 carries to lead the Red Storm offense.

“He’s a warrior and he’s one of the hardest working kids,” Saranac Lake’s head coach Eric Bennett said. “He’s a great leader for us, and defensively, he made some monster tackles today as well.”

Saturday’s performance was a big contrast from a week ago when the Red Storm turned the ball over four times in their loss to Massena. Bennett said turnovers became a point of emphasis heading into this contest, but the team held up their end of the bargain by not coughing the ball up.

Saranac Lake’s Alius Martelle races past the Moriah defense during Saturday’s game at the new Wilson-Raymond Field. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Sophomore quarterback Evan Harvey went four of eight, with 55 yards and a score. Harvey’s touchdown pass was a short pass to his cousin, Braydon Harvey, who took it 43 yards to the house toward the end of the second quarter.

“We’re young at quarterback and our quarterback’s getting better every day,” Bennett said. “So that’s why we don’t feel like it’s panic mode last week because we’re just going to keep getting better and learning.”

Saranac Lake built a 28-0 halftime lead, and on the opening kickoff following intermission, junior Owen Lawrence took the ball to the house for a 79-yard score for his team’s final score. Bennett credited assistant coach John Pillen for putting together a solid game plan for his special teams unit.

“He is a grinder when it comes to special teams, and the amount of work he puts in and that our kids can now execute,” Bennett said. “I mean, two blocked punts and a kickoff return. That’s a huge day on specials. Our kids really responded offensively. I give a lot of credit to Coach (Chad) Harvey for changing his scheme and choosing a different system that worked within the skill set of our kids. I think that was pretty effective. And just overall, I’m proud of our kids. They worked hard. They knew their assignments and they had a great day.”

Saranac Lake’s dominance on special teams was on full display on the game’s opening drive as senior Scottie Nicholas blocked Moriah’s punt, setting up his team up at the Vikings’ 11-yard line. Montroy finished off with a three-play score to claim a 7-0 lead.

Saranac Lake’s Owen Lawrence, left, races past Moriah’s Jayden Hughes on a punt return after stiff-arming him during Saturday’s game at the new Wilson-Raymond Field. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Following a failed fake punt attempt by the Vikings, Montroy extended the lead with a 46-yard run to the endzone — before running in for the 2-point attempt to make the score 15-0. On the ensuing drive, the Red Storm’s Alius Martelle intercepted a pass in Moriah territory; however, Saranac Lake didn’t capitalize on the field advantage.

After forcing the Vikings into yet another three-and-out, Montroy blocked another punt and used just one play to reach paydirt for his third score. The Red Storm scored two more touchdowns to close out the game, as their offense finished with 207 total yards.

On the other side of the ball, Saranac Lake’s defense was pesky all afternoon, forcing Moriah into five three-and-outs on its 11 total drives. Austin Webb-Brown also reeled in his first-ever varsity interception with a few seconds remaining in the opening half. It’s the first time since 2021 that the Red Storm has shut out an opponent.

“I thought our defense played pretty well the other night, and they certainly showed up today,” Bennett said. “I like their tenacity. I like their willingness to run to the ball, playing selfless defense. And I’m excited that our entire team contributed to a shutout today. That’s big for us, you know, to have everybody play a whole bunch and still keep the team off the board. It’s a credit to our kids.”

Moriah, which dropped to 0-2 overall, finished with 111 yards of offense. Jayden Hughes recorded 29 yards on the ground, while Mason Feeley had 26. The Vikings’ Joey Kazlo completed four of his 19 passes for 31 yards.

Saranac Lake’s Maddox Hamelin pushes off a Moriah defender during Saturday’s home game. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Saranac Lake will host its third home game of the season on Friday against the AuSable Valley Patriots, which secured a 10-7 victory over Plattsburgh. The Patriots’ win snapped a 14-game losing streak. Friday’s opening kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the new Wilson-Raymond Field.

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Saranac Lake 35, Moriah 0

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Red Storm 21 7 7 0 — 35

Vikings 0 0 0 0 — 0

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SCORING

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First quarter

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SL — Montroy 1 run (Lawrence kick), 9:20

SL — Montroy 46 run (Montroy run), 6:13

SL — Montroy 12 run (Kick fails), 3:05

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Second quarter

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SL — B. Harvey 43 pass from E. Harvey (Lawrence kick), 5:00

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Third quarter

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SL — Lawrence 79 kickoff return (Lawrence kick), 11:46

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INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

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Rushing

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M — J. Hughes 12-29; Harris 4-9; Feeley 7-26; Kazlo 2-(-5); Mandy 3-21; Bobbie 1-0. Totals: 29-80.

SL — Montroy 12-109, 3TDs; Martelle 5-20; Kilbourne-Hill 6-(-13); Hamelin 3-40; M. Nicholas 1-(-4). Totals: 27-152, 3TDs.

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Passing

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M — Kazlo 4-19-2-31; Sargent 0-1-0-0. Totals: 4-20-2-31.

SL — E. Harvey 4-8-0-55, TD; M. Nicholas 0-1-0-0. Totals: 4-9-0-55, TD.

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Receiving

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M — J. Hughes 3-38; Sargent 1-(-7). Totals: 4-31.

SL — S. Nicholas 2-8; Martelle 1-4; B. Harvey 1-43, TD. Totals: 4-55, TD.

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Interceptions

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SL — Martelle; Webb-Brown.