Led by senior Landon Crawford’s 135 yards on 16 carries and junior Christian Dorsey’s five rushes for 131 yards, the Mounties (2-0) piled up 340 yards rushing on 30 carries for an astounding 11.3 yards per rush. Senior quarterback Luke Iovine completed 10 of 12 passes for 120 yards, proving MHS isn’t a one-trick pony.

Montclair’s gaudy offensive numbers came from a two-back formation, which was a shift in offensive philosophy, out of necessity, for the Mounties. A hand injury to senior center Rylan Kelleher forced Montclair out of its standard shotgun set, as Kelleher couldn’t get the proper lift on the snap. With Iovine under center and a loaded backfield for the first time all season, it appeared to be business as usual.

"I was pleased on many levels with our play, but our ability to revert back to a two-back offense after primarily working from the shotgun during the preseason was very encouraging," MHS coach Ed Lebida said. "Everyone’s responsibilities, from the backfield to the line, change when you make a shift like that. The guys did it almost seamlessly."

Defensively, the only points the locals allowed - on a one-yard scoring run - were the result of a Montclair turnover that set up the Ghosts at the Mountie 7. Following the score, MHS led, 7-6.

"Eastside always has great skill players, so we went into the game hoping to limit their big plays," said Lebida. "We did a pretty good job of that and made a few big defensive plays of our own."

OPENING-DRIVE TD

Crawford capped a nine-play, 94-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 6-0 lead. Senior kicker Arman Walia’s first of six PATs split the uprights for a 7-0 lead.

Dorsey’s first of two long scoring runs came on the Mounties’ first possession of the second quarter. After Crawford churned out consecutive 10-yard runs, Dorsey sidestepped two blitzers and broke free for a 47-yard TD.

MHS forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and sophomore Ottis Wright recovered, setting up Montclair at the Ghost 27. Iovine went to the air on first down, connecting with Gayle on a fade pattern in the left corner of the end zone. Walia’s extra-point stretched the lead to 21-6.

"Luke is developing very fast, and that’s with us asking him to do a lot," Lebida said. "We knew he could do it, so seeing him really meet our expectations has been a thrill to watch."

The Mounties’ final two points of the first half came when Eastside (0-2) snapped the ball out of its own end zone on a punt attempt with 2:10 remaining.

Senior Karee Jeffrey slammed the door on the Ghosts with a 45-yard interception return for a score just over a minute into the third quarter. Another Walia PAT made it 30-6.

"I think that play will go a long way in boosting Karee’s confidence," said Lebida. "He is one of our senior leaders, and we need him to play that way."

Crawford’s recovery of another Eastside fumble set up Dorsey’s 66-yard TD jaunt with 6:05 remaining in the third.

Senior Devin McConnell (three-yard run) and classmate Davon Blutcher (62-yard run) scored touchdowns in the fourth quarter for MHS.

TECH'S NEXT

Montclair travels to Hackensack Saturday for a 1 p.m. game with Bergen Tech (1-1). The Knights joined the NNJIL before the 2006 school year, and the only meeting between the two teams occurred during a NJSIAA consolation game in 2003. Tech won, 27-13.

"We will really get into watching film on [Bergen Tech] tomorrow, but I believe their skill players are strong," Lebida said. "I’m not sure how great their depth is, so we will try and take advantage of that by countering with what we feel is our great depth."

Mountie Notebook: Lebida said junior tailback and outside linebacker David Coleman will be out "at least two weeks" due to a knee injury he suffered against Eastside. Filling in for Coleman on defense will be juniors Travis Hubbard and Frank Cooper.

Defensive back Shane Harris will return against Bergen Tech. Harris, a junior, has been out since the first week of the preseason with a leg injury. He started a handful of games in MHS’ defensive secondary as a sophomore.

The NJSIAA’s experimental mercy rule went into effect early in the fourth quarter of the Montclair/Eastside game. Under the rule, games with a margin of 35 points or more at the start of the third quarter have a running clock until completion. As in Montclair’s case last weekend, the clock also runs if a team stretches its lead to 35 or more points at any time during the second half.

Clock stops only occur during timeouts, injuries or changes of possession. If the deficit dips below 35 points, the clock stops again at all whistles. The NJSIAA is testing the rule this year and will determine at the end of the season if it will use it on a permanent basis next season.

"I am in favor of the [mercy] rule," said Lebida. "In games with a large deficit, you try your hardest not to score, but you also don’t want to embarrass the other team by taking a knee during your offensive possessions. Speeding up the clock helps with that."

Following Bergen Tech, Montclair has a bye week before facing nationally ranked Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey on Oct. 10. After the Ironmen, the locals travel to Ridgewood, completing a two-game stretch that will be the toughest of the season. Because of this, Lebida said he would have preferred the bye after Bosco, not before.

"We had so many injuries after Bosco two years ago, we lost the game the next week and didn’t make the playoffs," Lebida told The Times. "You always would like that extra week after Bosco, but we didn’t get it this year, either."