CENTER VALLEY — The buildup belonged to two unbeaten teams.

But the night belonged to Southern Lehigh.

The Spartans delivered a complete performance on both sides of the ball, coming up with key stops early and putting together one sustained scoring drive after another to pull away from Lehighton for a 35-0 victory Friday night.

“I think we played great in all three phases,” Southern Lehigh coach Phil Sams said.

Both teams entered 4-0 after dominant starts to the season. Lehighton had outscored its first four opponents 162-28, while Southern Lehigh brought its own perfect record — and the pedigree of a defending state champion — into the highly anticipated matchup.

There was also some history behind it.

Southern Lehigh escaped Lehighton with a 21-20 victory a year ago, a game Sams said provided additional motivation for his team this time around.

“We wanted to have a convincing win against them,” Sams said. “We haven’t had one in a while, and we had that 21-20 game last year, and that kind of got us mad this year. We kind of viewed that as motivation for these kids.”

Early on, the game looked capable of living up to the billing.

Lehighton moved to the Southern Lehigh 32 on its opening possession, with Sawyer Hoffman converting a fourth-and-6 from the Indians’ 44 with a seven-yard run along the way. But when Lehighton faced another fourth down — this time needing two yards — the Spartans made the stop.

Then they went 68 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Jack MoDavis capped the drive with a nine-yard run to give Southern Lehigh a 6-0 lead. Lehighton’s Cash White had broken up a pass in the end zone on the previous play.

After forcing a three-and-out, Southern Lehigh put together another 68-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Colton Sams found Jack Pavis for a seven-yard touchdown, and MoDavis ran in the two-point conversion to make it 14-0 with 10:42 left in the second quarter.

Lehighton responded with another extended drive.

Starting at their own 29, the Indians moved to the Southern Lehigh 30. Jack Lucykanish connected with White on third-and-9 and Carl Lingham on third-and-5 to keep the possession alive.

But Southern Lehigh again held on fourth-and-2.

“I believe we were in position to make some plays in some key spots,” Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll said. “That’s what separates the good teams from the great teams.”

The Spartans made the stop count.

Southern Lehigh marched 70 yards, with Sams finding Otto Young for a 16-yard touchdown and Declan Walsh adding the extra point to make it 21-0 with 51 seconds remaining in the first half.

Southern Lehigh’s three first-half touchdown drives covered 68, 68 and 70 yards.

The Spartans wasted little time adding to their advantage after the break.

Southern Lehigh took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and traveled 80 yards in 10 plays. Sams hit Tanner Traub for a nine-yard touchdown, and Walsh’s extra point pushed the lead to 28-0 with 7:11 remaining.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Spartans needed only four plays to go 52 yards. MoDavis finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown, and Walsh’s extra point made it 35-0 with 4:09 left in the third quarter and started the running clock.

Sams finished 13-of-16 for 158 yards and three touchdowns, while MoDavis carried 12 times for 105 yards and two scores. Young caught five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Southern Lehigh finished with 370 yards of offense, including 212 on the ground, and averaged 8.8 yards per play. The Spartans limited Lehighton to 131 total yards.

“You don’t have a good football team unless you have a good O-line,” Phil Sams said. “We’ve got an excellent O-line. Four of the five starters are back, and we have another senior now starting, so we have five seniors up front. That’s huge.

“They let us run and pass. We’re dynamic in the fact that we’ve got multiple guys that can be used to get the ball.”

Southern Lehigh improved to 5-0 and has outscored its opponents 226-43. Friday marked its second consecutive shutout and third in five games. Jim Thorpe, in a 43-7 Southern Lehigh victory in Week 3, remains the last team to score against the Spartans.

Sams saw a heightened level of focus from his team leading into the matchup.

“We had a great week of practice,” he said. “They were concentrated, they were more quiet than usual, and they understood the task at hand.”

Lehighton continued to compete after the game went to a running clock. The Indians drove to the Southern Lehigh 35 before Cole Hagy came up with an interception, and their final possession reached the Spartans’ 36 before time expired as both teams worked younger players into the game.

For McCarroll, the loss doesn’t erase what Lehighton accomplished during its 4-0 start. Instead, the focus shifts to how the Indians respond during the second half of the regular season.

“It is a measuring stick, and we didn’t measure up today,” McCarroll said. “But I don’t think this game is gonna define who we are. I really don’t.

“It’s easy to be negative right now, but that’s not gonna be our approach. I think we’re too good of a team to let this one game define who we are.”

McCarroll hopes the experience becomes something Lehighton can build from.

“I’m proud of what the kids have accomplished so far,” he said. “If we can build from this, I think we’re gonna be better for it.

“We played a great opponent. The big test is gonna be how our kids respond.”

So. Lehigh 35, Lehighton 0

Lehighton 0 0 0 0 - 0

So. Lehigh 6 15 14 0 - 35

SL - MoDavis 9 run (kick failed)

SL - Pavis 7 pass from Sams (MoDavis run)

SL - Young 16 pass from Sams (Walsh kick)

SL - Traub 9 pass from Sams (Walsh kick)

SL - MoDavis 5 run (Walsh kick)