Peru Deacon Giroux (1) takes it around the edge for a Nighthawks score as the Nighthawks win 45-23. 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 received touchdowns from Holland, Rodriguez, and Colburn but was unable to 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.

Peru's Isaiah Hendrix (10) splits Saranac's Skyler Walker (11) and Grant Coryea (66) as he would take it in for one of his two scores on the evening. 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, Isaiah 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 on the season and will try to rebound when it faces the Beekmantown Eagles next weekend.

The Schuylerville Horses are crowned the 2025 Class North Region Champions with the 50-14 victory. It would be a battle of top-20enty teams in the state as the #4 Schuylerville Horses would take on the #18 Saranac Spartans in the NYSPHSAA Class C North Region Final from Plattsburgh, with the winner advancing to the final four. The Horse would get out of the gate first and quickly, with a 1-yard run from Max Montgomery for the 6-0 lead at the 4:25 mark of the first quarter. The Horses would keep it going as Max Montgomery would add his second touchdown of the quarter this time from 7 yards at the 9:47 mark for the 14-0 lead. The Horses would keep it going in the second quarter, when Max Montgomery would get his third touchdown of the game his time from seven yards out at the 3:30 mark, making it a 20-0 ggame and that's where the game would be at the ahalf The Horses kept it going when they returned for the third quarter, when Max Montgomery scored his fourth of the game and made it 28-0 at the 4:20 mark. Then, with 40 seconds left in the quarter, the Horses would extend their lead, and Blake Cumm would take it 11 yards out to make it a 36-0 game at the end of the third quarter. The Spartans would finally have an answer when Tanner Fields picked up the fumble and took it 39 yards for the score at 1:50 of the fourth quarter,, making it a 36-7 game The Horses would answer back, though, as Levi Michuad would break it for a 55-yard run and make it a 42-7 game at the 6:50 mark of the fourth. Then, in the ensuing kickoff, Sam Lachre would take it 67 yards for the score and make it 4a 2-14 game. Although the Horses would have one more answer, as Levi Michuad would break again, this time for 44 yards, they would close out the game and take the 50-14 victory. In the winning effort, Schuylerville Horses would stay undefeated at 11-0 as they head to the final four. As for the Saranac Spartan, their season will end at 7-4. Gallery

The Saranac Spartans are crowned the 2025 Section VII-X Super Bowl champions with a 29-6 win over the Gouvenour Wildcats. It would be the start of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C Football playoffs, and we would see the Gouverneur Wildcats and the Saranac Spartans at Plattsburgh High School, with the winner playing Schuylerville next weekend in the quarterfinals. The teams would use the first quarter as a feeling-out time, as neither team would be able to score. Then at the 5:41 mark of the second quarter, the Spartans would strike on a 15-yard pass to Chace Scovil for the 8-0 Spartans lead. The Spartans would keep coming and extend their lead to 15-0 on a 41-yard run by Teegan Smith, and they would take the 15-0 lead into the locker room. When the teams returned for the second half, the Wildcats would get the game back within one score when Haden Stowell took it from 2 yards out. The game would stay there till there were 35 seconds left in the quarter when Chace Scovil would strike again, this time from 3 yards out, as the score would go to 22-6. Then at the 4:10 mark of the fourth quarter, Storm D'Ambro would score on the 17-yard pass strike and take the 29-6 lead and put the game out of reach. With that, the Spartans would get the win and go to 7-3 on the season, and will face the defending champion Schuylerville next in the quarterfinals. As for the Governor Wildcats, their season will end at 5-3. Gallery

The Saranac Spartans would be crowned the 2024 Section VII Class C Champions with their 30-28 victory over the Saranac Lake Red Storm. It would be the battle of the Saranacs once again for the Section VII Class C Championship from the Beekmantown High School for the right to head to the NYSPHSAA Class C Tournament. The game would start with the Red Storm jumping out to a quick 13-0 lead, but the Spartans would come back with a couple of scores of their own as they would take the 14-13 lead into the locker room at the half. When the teams return for the second half, it will be a back-and-forth game, but neither team will be able to get any separation. In the game's closing minute, the Spartans would score to take the 30-22 lead. The Red Storm would thunder down the head, and they would get the touchdown. Knowing that they needed the two to two tie the game, they would take their quarterback on the sweep, Zack Goet, but they would come up just short, and the Spartans would get the 30-28 victory. In the winning effort, the Spartans go to 3-6 on the season as they will head to section x next week for their state game. As for the Saranac Lake, Red Storm would end their season at 4-4. Gallery