Peru's Marco Amato (4) with the catch-and-run for the Nighthawks ' long-distance score. PLATTSBURGH — Week 3 of the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference season brought one of the year's most anticipated matchups as the undefeated Peru Nighthawks traveled to Plattsburgh High School to take on the unbeaten Plattsburgh Hornets, with sole possession of first place in the conference on the line. Peru struck first and never looked back. The Nighthawks opened the scoring at the 10:55 mark of the first quarter when Brody Blaise Smith broke through the Hornets' defense and raced 54 yards for a touchdown, giving Peru an early 6-0 advantage. The score remained unchanged for the rest of the opening quarter as both defenses settled in. Plattsburgh answered immediately to start the second quarter. Just 33 seconds into the period, Cooper Holland connected on a 31-yard touchdown pass to cap a quick drive and give the Hornets their first lead of the night at 7-6. The lead was short-lived. Peru responded with an explosive play of its own as Marco Amato hauled in a 58-yard touchdown pass to put the Nighthawks back in front, 12-7. The visitors continued to build momentum late in the half when Smith punched in a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:31 remaining before halftime. Peru converted the extra point and carried a commanding 19-7 lead into the locker room. The Nighthawks dominated the second half. With 4:39 remaining in the third quarter, Smith delivered the game's knockout blow, bursting through the line and sprinting 52 yards for his third touchdown of the evening to extend the advantage to 26-7. Peru wasn't finished. With just 1:22 left in the third quarter, Deacon Giroux found space behind the Plattsburgh secondary and hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 33-7 heading into the final quarter. Only four seconds into the fourth quarter, Deon Lawyer added to the Peru lead with a 2-yard touchdown run, making it 39-7 and seemingly putting the game out of reach. To their credit, the Hornets kept fighting. Garrison Rodriguez found the end zone on a 15-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 39-15. Later, with less than four minutes remaining, Ryan Colburn electrified the home crowd with a 50-yard touchdown run, trimming the lead to 39-23 and making it a two-possession game. However, any hopes of a late comeback were erased in the closing minutes. With 1:27 remaining, Isaiah Hendrix connected on a 27-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory and cap off a dominant offensive performance for Peru. The touchdown provided the final margin as the Nighthawks rolled to a 45-23 victory over their longtime rivals. Smith led the way for Peru with three rushing touchdowns, while Amato, Giroux, Lawyer, and Hendrix all contributed scores in a balanced offensive attack. Plattsburgh scored touchdowns from Holland, Rodriguez, and Colburn but couldn't overcome Peru's explosive plays throughout the night. With the win, the Nighthawks improve to 3-0 and will return home next week to host Saranac Lake. The Hornets fall to 2-1 and will look to bounce back when they travel to Beekmantown to face the Eagles.

Plattsburgh's Cooper Holland (3) breaks the tackle of Peru's Isaac Roger (15) for the Hornets first down.

Saranac's Storm D'Ambrosio (4) flies in for the shoulder tackle on Peru's Finley Coon (11) for the open-field tackle and stops the first down. PERU, N.Y. — A battle of undefeated teams quickly turned into a showcase for the home team Friday night as the Peru Nighthawks rolled past the Saranac Spartans 55-0 in Champlain Valley Athletic Conference action. Peru set the tone early and never looked back, scoring in every phase of the game while improving to 2-0 on the season. The Nighthawks opened the scoring in the first quarter when Caleb Starke broke free for an 8-yard touchdown run, giving Peru a 7-0 advantage. That score stood as the lone touchdown of the opening quarter. Peru struck again early in the second quarter. Just 2:45 into the period, the Nighthawks extended their lead to 14-0 when Marco Amato hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass. The game's turning point came late in the first half. With just over two minutes remaining before intermission, Usaiah Hendrix intercepted a Spartans pass and raced 78 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six pushed Peru's lead to 21-0 heading into halftime and firmly put the Nighthawks in control. The second half began with fireworks as Deacon Giroux returned the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 28-0. Just over two minutes later, Isaiah Hendrix found the end zone for the second time on the night, powering in from 10 yards out to make it 35-0. Peru continued its third-quarter surge when Deon Lawyer scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 6:20 remaining in the period, pushing the advantage to 42-0. The Nighthawks never eased up in the fourth quarter. Darius Jenkins added a 21-yard touchdown run before Justin Schmidt capped the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run as Peru cruised to the 55-0 victory. Isaiah Hendrix led the way for the Nighthawks with two touchdowns, while Peru's defense pitched a shutout and added a touchdown of its own. The special teams unit also contributed a score, highlighting a complete team performance. With the win, Peru improves to 2-0 and will look to keep its perfect record intact next week against the Plattsburgh Hornets. Saranac falls to 1-1 and will try to rebound when it faces the Beekmantown Eagles next weekend.

Peru's Deon Lawyer (44) and Deacon Giroux (1) go high and low to bring down Saranac's Skyler Walker (11) along the sidelines.

Saranac Lake's Zack McCarthy races in on the breakaway and scores as part of a ten-point night. It would be the fourth game of the 2026 Section VII Champions Challenge, featuring the Peru Nighthawks and the #18 Saranac Lake Red Storm as they go after the section big-school title. The Red Storm would come out surging, leading 16-2 after the first quarter. In the second quarter, it would not be much better for the Nighthawk,s as the Red Storm has a 16-6 quarter and takes a 32-8 lead at intermission. When the teams returned for the third quarter, the Nighthawks would find their shot, but the Red Storm were still firing, and they would win the quarter 16-1, taking the 48-22 lead into the fourth. The teams would enter the fourth with the outcome pretty much known, but there would be no let-up in the Red Storm as they would have a 19-10 quarter and secure the 67-32 victory. In the winning effort, Red Storm, Cedar would lead the way with 23 points, as they would go to 20-4 on the season. As for the Nighthawks, Layden Delaronde would lead the way with 10 points, as they would fall to 13-7 on the season, with both teams focusing on the New York State Tournament. Gallery

Peru's Deacon Whitmarsh (3) rises above the rest for the score as part of a seven-point night. Gallery

Peru's Elianna Trumper (1) with the mid-range jumper for the score as the Nighthawks win the championship. It would be the final game of the 2026 Section VII Basketball Championship weekend at the Florence Gym at Clinton Community College, with the #1 Peru Nighthawks and the #2 Beekmantown Eagles for the Girls' Class A title. The Nighthawks would come out on fire as they would jump out to a 14-4 lead after the first quarter. They would keep it going in the second quarter, scoring 14-6 and taking a 28- 0 lead into the locker room. When they came out of the locker room, it would be more of the same for the Nighthawks with a 17-7 quarter as they would stand at 45-17 as they entered the fourth. In the 4th quarter, the Nighthawks would go into cruise mode, and the Eagles would win the quarter 13-10, but the Nighthawks would hold on for the 55-30 victory. In the winning effort for the Nighthawks, Reese Duprey would lead the way with 20 points as they punched their ticket to the New York State Class A Tournament. As for the Beekmantown Eagles, their season comes to an end behind Lucy Conroy's 13-point effort Gallery

Beekmantown's Lucy Conroy (13) comes in on the breakaway for the score as part of her team high 12 points. < a href="https://kcphotovideo.zenfolio.com/p839638500">Gallery

Peru's Camden Sweeney (23) scored with the three from the wing over the Hornets defender for the score. It would be the first game of the championship weekend from the Florence Gym at Clinton Community College as the #1 Peru Nighthawks and the #2 Plattsburgh Hornets would meet up for the Section VII Class A Championship. The upset-minded Hornets would start well, doubling up the Nighhawks in the first quarter with a 1- 4-7 quarter. In the second quarter, the Nighthawks would have answered, as they would take the quarter 18-6 and hold a 25-20 lead at the intermission. In the third quarter, the Hornets would answer back, scoring 15-9 and taking a 35-34 lead into the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Nighthawks would have the answer and put the finishing touches on the Hornets with aan18-7 quarter. In the winning effort for the Nighthawks, a trio would lead the way with 11 points: Eli Ledwith, Cogan St. Denis, and Mouhamadou Diatt, as they advance to the New York State Class A Tournament. For the Hornet, Troy Bushey would lead the way with 19 points as their season comes to an end. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Ryan Colburn (23) and Peru's Deacon Whittmarsh (3) go for the opening tip of the Section Class A championship. < href="https://kcphotovideo.zenfolio.com/p804202791">Gallery