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WALES — The Oak Hill football team, a program steeped in success and tradition, has won plenty of games at Stacen Doucette Memorial Field.

The Raiders’ win Saturday was different. This one was for Isaac Graham.

Memories of the former Raider were on the back of Oak Hill’s helmets Saturday in the form of stickers featuring his nickname, “Iggy,” and angel wings. They were in the end zone as players Braden Dubuc, Levi Marks, P.J. Smith and Carson Morin held up his No. 1 jersey following a 32-6 win over Morse.

This was an emotional day at Oak Hill, as the community remembered Iggy Graham during the team’s first home game since Graham, a wide receiver and defensive back, died in May.

“We had Iggy on our brains today, and we played our hearts out,” said Oak Hill coach Chad Stowell. “With everything that was going on, we did a really good job of focusing and playing hard. I’m really, really proud of the team.”

It’s been four very challenging months for Oak Hill following Graham’s passing. Graham, who would have been a senior this year, was a leader for the Raiders, even catching the winning touchdown pass in Oak Hill’s 22-21 victory over Freeport in last year’s Class D South quarterfinals.

Saturday was no easier. There were many tears in the stands pregame as Graham’s mother, Dawn Cureton, gave a speech via the public-address system. Graham, Cureton said, had been especially looking forward to playing his senior season with the Raiders.

“(Today was) hard for me,” Cureton said following the game. “It’s happy, sad — it’s a mix of emotions, to be honest. It makes me more happy because I know how much they appreciated him. … It makes me feel good how much he was cared for and appreciated.”

On the field, Oak Hill battled. Although the Raiders (1-1) got off to slow start, they took an 8-6 lead to the locker room at halftime, then dominated the second half to bounce back from a hard-fought defeat at Winthrop last week.

Smith (eight carries, 154 yards, two touchdowns) and Keeghan Morrissette (14 carries, 146 yards, touchdown) combined for 300 of Oak Hill’s 337 rushing yards. The defense forced Morse (0-2) to turn it over on downs three times in the red zone.

“It was pretty much everything (going right for us in the running game),” Smith said. “The guys up front were making huge holes, and the guys outside were blocking the corners, so we just had to put our heads down and run. … We just wanted this game.”

Since Graham’s death, Stowell said the Raiders have become even closer and more tight-knit. He was impressed with the team’s focus in the buildup to Saturday, calling the week of practice one of the best he’s overseen as coach.

What’s made even more of an impression on Stowell, though, has been his players’ maturity and poise in the aftermath of loss. Faced with trauma, the Raiders, he said, have shown an impressive level of leadership for teenagers still learning to navigate the world.

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“I’m checking in on them, and at the same time, P.J. and Braden are checking on me and saying, ‘How are you doing, Coach?’” Stowell said. “A 16-year-old shouldn’t be looking out for how I’m doing — that’s my job — but it shows you the maturity we have and the love these guys have for each other.”

Graham, as Dubuc and Smith made clear, is still a part of this team. No one will wear his No. 1 jersey this year. That number is still his — and even if Saturday’s game had a bit of added meaning in Wales, not another will go by without Graham being part of everything the Raiders do.

“It meant a lot to have everyone on our team come together and show how tight and strong we can be if we’re all together,” Dubuc said. “He hasn’t left our minds since Day 1. It’s been a killer without him, but it’s also been a blessing with him.”