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.

Plattsburgh's Charlotte Castine (7) with the dig on the ball to keep the point alive. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The Plattsburgh Hornets remained unbeaten on the season Thursday night, rallying from an early setback to earn a 3-1 victory over the Ausable Valley Patriots in Champlain Valley Athletic Conference girls volleyball action. The Patriots entered the match at 1-2 and were determined to hand the Hornets their first loss of the season. Ausable Valley came out strong in a tightly contested opening set that featured several lead changes. Late in the set, the Patriots appeared to take control, building a 23-18 advantage. Plattsburgh refused to go away, however, mounting a comeback to tie the score and force extra points. Despite the Hornets' rally, the Patriots held on for a dramatic 27-25 victory and took a 1-0 lead in the match. After dropping the opening set, Plattsburgh responded convincingly. The Hornets came out energized in the second set and quickly established control behind strong serving and consistent play on both sides of the net. Plattsburgh cruised to a 25-14 victory to even the match at one set apiece. The Hornets kept the momentum in the third set. Ausable Valley struggled to slow down the Plattsburgh attack as the Hornets dominated from start to finish, pulling away for a commanding 25-10 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. Facing elimination, the Patriots looked to extend the contest in the fourth set, but the Hornets continued their strong play. Plattsburgh maintained the pressure throughout the set and closed out the match with a 25-15 victory, securing the 3-1 win in just over 90 minutes. With the victory, Plattsburgh improved to 4-0 on the season and will return to the court on Sept. 22 against the Northern Adirondack Bobcats. Ausable Valley dropped to 2-2 and will travel to Saranac on Sept. 21, looking to move back above .500. Gallery

Ausable Valley's (15) with the save on the bump for the Patriots' point.Gallery

Northeastern Clinton (17) and Plattsburgh's Molly Meyer (8) battle for the ball along the sidelines. PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The Plattsburgh Hornets hosted the Northeastern Clinton Cougars in Champlain Valley Athletic Conference girls soccer action at the Plattsburgh Athletic Complex on Wednesday. The two teams traded blows throughout the first half, creating scoring chances on both ends of the field. However, neither side found the back of the net, and the game remained scoreless heading into halftime. The evenly matched play continued through much of the second half as both teams searched for the game's first goal. The breakthrough finally came in the 71st minute when Lexi Arno capitalized on a scoring opportunity to give Northeastern Clinton a 1-0 advantage. Arno was not finished. Just one minute later, she struck again to extend the Cougars' lead to 2-0 and provide some valuable insurance. From there, the Northeastern Clinton defense clamped down, preventing the Hornets from mounting a comeback and preserving the shutout victory. With the win, the Cougars improve to 4-4 and will return to action Thursday when they host the Saranac Spartans. Meanwhile, the Hornets fall to 0-5-1 and will keep searching for their first win next week when they travel to face the Saranac Spartans. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Molly Meyer (8) and Maddie Arno (19) battle for the ball at midfield. Gallery

Plattsburgh (6) with the swipe and steal of the ball on Saranac's (12) as he cut to the middle. The Saranac Spartans picked up a key Champlain Valley Athletic Conference victory Tuesday evening, defeating the Plattsburgh Hornets 2-0 in boys soccer action. Saranac wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Just four minutes into the match, Nolan Hamel found the back of the net to give the Spartans an early 1-0 advantage. The goal set the tone for a strong first-half effort by the visitors, who controlled play and kept creating chances. The Spartans added to their lead in the 35th minute when Hamel delivered a deep strike for his second goal of the game. The tally gave Saranac a comfortable 2-0 cushion heading into halftime. The second half featured solid defending from both sides. While each team generated chances in the attacking third, neither side capitalized as the defenses and goalkeepers stood firm. Saranac successfully protected its lead for the final 40 minutes to secure the shutout victory. With the win, the Spartans improved to 3-2 on the season and will look to carry that momentum into their next matchup on the road against Northeastern Clinton. Plattsburgh fell to 3-2 and will try to rebound Thursday when the Hornets take on crosstown rival Beekmantown. Gallery

Saranac's (17) drives down the sideline and takes to the net for a scoring chance. Gallery

Lake Placid's Ellie Shipman (4) with the set at the net to get the oncoming kill ready. PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh Hornets opened their home schedule in impressive fashion, defeating Champlain Valley Athletic Conference rival Lake Placid 3-1 in a hard-fought volleyball match. The Blue Bombers came out determined to pull off the upset, jumping out to an early five-point lead in the opening set. Plattsburgh responded by steadily chipping away at the deficit before rallying late to claim a narrow 25-23 victory and take a 1-0 lead in the match. Lake Placid answered in the second set. Although the Hornets got off to another strong start, the Blue Bombers stayed within striking distance and eventually took control down the stretch. Their effort paid off with a 25-20 win, evening the match at one set apiece. The momentum shifted back to Plattsburgh in the third set. The Hornets stormed out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back. Lake Placid battled to stay in the set, but Plattsburgh maintained its advantage and secured a 25-17 victory to move ahead 2-1 and put itself one set away from the win. In the fourth set, the Hornets wasted little time taking command. Plattsburgh raced out to a 7-1 advantage and controlled play the rest of the way. The Blue Bombers attempted to mount a comeback, but the Hornets held firm and closed out the match to earn the 3-1 victory. With the win, Plattsburgh improved to 2-0 early in the season, while Lake Placid dropped to 0-3. The Hornets will look to build on their strong start as they continue CVAC play, while the Blue Bombers will search for their first victory of the season. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Azah Marsh drops to knee to bump the return sent by the Blue Bombers to get the play started. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Ryan Colburn (13) takes it around the corner on the 92-yard punt return for the touchdown. Plattsburgh, NY-It was the opening weekend of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association football season, and the Plattsburgh Hornets made a statement in their season opener, rolling to a convincing 45-0 victory over the Malone Huskies in non-sectional action. The Hornets wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. At the 10:35 mark of the first quarter, Ryan Colburn electrified the crowd by returning a punt 92 yards for a touchdown, giving Plattsburgh an early 6-0 lead. Plattsburgh continued to control the game as Colden Johnson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run later in the opening quarter. The successful conversion pushed the lead to 14-0. Johnson struck again in the second quarter, finding the end zone from short yardage at the 6:53 mark to extend the Hornets' advantage to 22-0. That score would stand as the final points of the first half as Plattsburgh took a commanding lead into the break. The Hornets picked up right where they left off in the third quarter. Cooper Holland connected on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 3:08 remaining in the quarter to increase the lead to 29-0. On Malone's next possession, Plattsburgh's defense got in on the scoring by tackling the Huskies quarterback in the end zone for a safety, making it 31-0. Later in the third quarter, Johnson recorded his third rushing touchdown of the day, breaking free for a 14-yard score at the 6:05 mark to push the lead to 38-0. Plattsburgh capped off the scoring in the fourth quarter when Garrison Rodriguez powered in from 8 yards out with 4:13 remaining, sealing the 45-0 victory. Johnson led the Hornets offensively with 63 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Plattsburgh improves to 1-0 and will now prepare for sectional play against the Moriah Vikings. For Malone, Mason Perrea was a bright spot, carrying the ball five times for 35 yards. The Huskies fall to 0-1 and will look to rebound when they open sectional play against the Ogdensburg Blue Devils.

Malone's Jake Riley (20) takes it around the edge with the stiff arm on the defender for the nice gain.