MALDEN — Malden Catholic proved its mettle as a legitimate state-wide threat on Saturday afternoon.

After coasting to a 3-0 start, the Lancers flexed their offensive muscles against previously unbeaten Concord-Carlisle in a 30-7 football romp on Donovan Field at Brother Gilbert Stadium.

“It feels really good for these kids and for the players, especially for these seniors who played their sophomore year and had a really rough time of it,” said Malden Catholic head coach Joseph Gaff. “They’ve really worked since the offseason every day in the weight room, and it’s really starting to pay off.”

Steven Joseph Jr. is one of those players whose offseason gains are translating to the gridiron. Only a sophomore, the explosive running back can squat a whopping 445 pounds. He totaled 143 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown run, on eight carries to headline the dominant Lancer offense.

“Every week throughout practice the line is working hard, and they’re always blocking for me,” said Joseph. “The coaches give us great plays to run and I just try to run as hard as I can.”

Malden Catholic (4-0) established a firm grip on the contest from kickoff. The hosts held the Concord-Carlisle (3-1) offense to just 106 yards of production, and it wasn’t until 55 seconds left that freshman quarterback Wes Morse found Austin Ward for a 15-yard touchdown to put points on the board.

“Our offensive line is pretty good, and our defensive line is pretty good,” said Gaff. “We’ve got some speed and we really haven’t had that around here too much.”

Malden Catholic executed an 11-play, 98-yard stanza that began on its own two-yard line to take a 6-0 lead with 3:07 to play in the first. Lancer quarterback George Rodgers found Jeremiah Figaro for a 12-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass, which was the beginning of an offensive clinic for the hosts. Rodgers finished 5-for-8 with 89 passing yards.

After a Concord-Carlisle three-and-out, that’s when Joseph found a gaping lane and broke through for his 65-yard dash to the end zone. Suddenly, it was 13-0 Lancers in the first quarter.

“He’s got that drive in him that is just special that you try to see from players. He’s got it,” said Gaff.

Bryce Summers and Treyvon Turner scored in the second quarter on red zone rushes to provide Malden Catholic with a 27-0 cushion at the break.

It looked like the Patriots were set to deny Malden Catholic points for the first time of the afternoon, but David Azzolino booted a 35-yard field goal through the uprights to increase the lead to 30-0 in the third quarter.

Once the visitors found an offensive groove that resulted in their lone score of the game on a fourth and five, Malden Catholic was already looking ahead at week 5 opponent BC High on Friday.

“4-0 feels great,” said Joseph. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs throughout the offseason and the past too, but winning feels good. I’m just happy to be here.”