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.

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.

Saranac's Chace Scovil (7) with the arm tackle on Schuylerville's Blake Cumm as he tried to take the edge. It would be a battle of top-20 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 an 11-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 leadThe The Horses would keep it going in the second quarter, when Max Montgomery would get his third touchdown of the gme, this time from seven yards out at the 3:markmamakingng it a 20-gamee, that's where the game would be atttheh half. The Hkeptd kept it going when they returned for the third quarter, when Max Montgscoredld got his fscore of the game, making it a game at the 4:20 mark. Then, with 40 seconds left in the quarter, the Horses would extend their lead, and Blakemm 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 broke it for a 55-yard run and made it a 42-7 game at the 6:50 mark of the fourt Then on the ensuing kickoff, Sam Lachre would take it 67 yards for the score and make it a 42-14 game. Although the Horses would have one more answer, as evi Michuad would break again, this time for 44 yards, they would close out the game and take the 55-victory. In the winning effort, the Schuylerville Horses would stay undefeated at 11-0 as they head to the final four. As for the Saratoga Spa Spartans, their season will come to an end at 7-4. Gallery

Schuylerville's Ben VanVegthen (7) with the stiff on Saranac's Teegan Smith as they get the first down. Gallery

Saranac's Zander Daniels (11) lowers the boom on the defender and trucks him for the first down run. 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

Gouvernur defender with the hard hit on Saranac's Storm D'Ambro (4) that sends him flying out of bounds. Gallery

Plattsburgh's (0) with the catch and fighting for the extra yards along the sidelines as they get the first down. It would be the last game of the regular season in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference as the Plattsburgh Hornets would host the Ticonderoga Sentinels in their return to 11-man football. It would only take the home Hornets 1:44 to get the opening score of the game, when George Dejesus broke it for 16 yards, giving them the 6-0 lead. Then at the 8:36 mark of the first quarter, the Hornets would extend their lead to 14-0 on Ryan Colburn's one-handed grab for the score, and that's how the first quarter would end. In the second quarter, the Hornets would stay on the pedal, and at the 2:46 mark of the quarter, they would extend their lead to 21-0 on the 38-yard strike to Will Boire. Then at the 7:49 Hotnets Ryan Colburne would get his second score of the half this time with a 225-yard run and make it 28-0 game, and that's where the first half would end. When the teams returned for the second half, the Sentinels came out and had the defense at the top of its game, holding the Hornets scoreless, and the game was still 28-0 after the third quarter. Although in the fourth quarter the Hornets' offense would explode for three touchdowns —two from Jahvari Anderson and one from Tyler Durney —as the Hornets secured the 49-0 victory. In the winning effort, the Hornets go into the playoffs on a two-game winning streak at 2-6 and will play the Saranac Spartans in the Section VII Class C Semifinals. The Ticonderoga Sentinels finish the regular season at 0-7 and will play the Moriah Vikings in the Section VII Class D Finals. Gallery

Ticonderoga's Trevor Blanchard (32) with the stiff arm on the Plattsburgh defender as he takes it around the corner for the first down. Gallery