It’s not that things weren’t going well for Orono on Friday. The Spartans were moving the ball crisply in the first half, but they weren’t able to cap their drives with points.

That changed after halftime as Orono scored 28 unanswered points, turning a three-point deficit into a 35-10 rout of host Holy Angels. David McCuskey scored three touchdowns for Orono and Blake Leischow added two as the Spartans rolled up 301 yards of offense in the second half, all on the ground.

“It was a matter of us getting back to what we do best and finishing our drives,” said McCuskey, who rushed for 213 yards. “We definitely simplified things and went to what we repped over and over again in practice.”

For a little more than one half of play, Holy Angels more than made up for the deficit in speed and talent with grit and a bend-but-don’t-break defense. The Stars (3-1) trailed 7-3 at halftime and took a 10-7 lead on an 11-yard touchdown run by Jack Anderson early in the third quarter.

That was Holy Angels’ last highlight.

Orono (4-0) scored quickly on the ensuing drive, going 85 yards in five plays. The Spartans did even better the next time they had the ball, traveling 95 yards in nine plays to bump their lead to 21-10. The touchdown was scored by Leischow, whose electric feet were on display all game. He veered right, cut once and sliced through a defense that thought it had him corraled.

Leischow added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, a 14-yard run that wowed even the Orono coaches in the press box.

“He makes guys look silly,” quarterback Hank Seward said. “He makes cuts I couldn’t dream of making.”

Expectations have been high for the Spartans from the beginning of the season, largely because of the considerable skills of McCuskey, Leischow and Seward. So far, they’ve lived up to them.

“We saw this coming a few years ago,” Orono coach Jeff Weiland said. “We put them in a game as freshmen and they all scored touchdowns. That kind of talent makes a coach look pretty good.”

Orono improved to 4-0 on the season while Holy Angels fell to 3-1 after suffering its first regular-season loss since 2013.

After a first half of near misses, Orono simplified things, kept the ball on the ground and pulled away from host Holy Angels for a 35-10 victory.

The Spartans scored on their second possession of the game, completing 44 yard drive on six plays, with David McCuskey diving over from a yard out on fourth-and-goal.

Orono’s no-huddle offense continued to moves the ball crisply between the 20s for most of the first half. But other than their lone scoring drive, the Spartans hurt themselves with penalties and drive-killing incompletions when they reached the red zone.

Holy Angels took a 10-7 lead early in the second half, but the game was all Orono after that. The Spartans scored the final 28 points of the game, scoring on every drive until the last one, in which they took a knee at the Holy Angels 6-yard line.

Check back later for more on the game.

Key to the game: Orono simplified its offense in the second half, choosing not to throw the ball and putting it in the hands of its three playmakers — David McCuskey, Blake Leischow and Hank Seward. It paid off as the Spartans rolled up more than 300 yards and 28 points after halftime.

Quote: “We have a chip on our shoulder. We’re the smallest team you’ll see in the state, and we love that.” — 5-foot-7 quarterback Hank Seward

One thing to know: Orono was No. 5 in the most recent Associated Press Class 4A state poll, while Holy Angels was ranked No. 2.

JIM PAULSEN