Saranac — The sun shone brightly Saturday on an unusually warm October day as Saranac Spartans took on the Saranac Lake Red Storm at home.
As the 2024 CVAC regular season winds down and the intensity of October football sets in, no game like the one between the Red Storm and Spartans is a clear preview to the postseason.
This past Saturday in a crucial matchup on the road, the stakes only proved to be a roadblock for the Red Storm In a Sectional championship preview only weeks later. Each team battled for supremacy and momentum in the afternoon.
But in a 21-6 victory on the road this weekend, Saranac Lake created a blueprint to beat the Spartans, with two weeks to go the Red Storm and Spartans’ playoff dreams loom on the horizon.
Before Saturday’s game, the Spartans struggled, holding a record of 1-5 after a heartbreaking last-second loss to Plattsburgh the previous week.
The Red Storm sat at 3-2 entering the game and aimed to solidify their conference standing and build on their momentum and recent successes.
“I mean, we had a rough couple of weeks,” said Saranac Lake’s Head Coach Eric Bennett. “We talked all week about getting off the bus, coming with some juice, coming with some energy. I thought our kids responded.
“Those two red zone stops in the first half were just incredible. They helped set us up for a solid second half, and our kids were focused and came out and executed.”
From the first whistle, it was clear the Red Storm were not taking the game for granted. The game started with an electrifying drive from Saranac, culminating in a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Lucia to receiver Xavier Dubay. Although the extra point attempt on special teams was blocked, the Spartans took an early 6-0 lead.
Saranac Head Coach Dylan Everleth, couldn’t be more proud of his quarterback for the way he has been handling the season’s adversity.
“We’ve really looked at him,” Everleth said. “We look to him this year just to be that rock on offense, keep everybody you know where they’re supposed to be, make sure that offense is rolling.”
“He plays without emotion, and you know he’s, he’s made some plays for us, and he’s kept us in football games.”
Despite the early score, Saranac Lake responded swiftly. With just 23 seconds left in the first quarter, quarterback Zack Goetz showcased his speed and agility with a dazzling 40-yard touchdown run, putting the Red Storm on the board.
A failed two-point conversion left the score at 6-6, setting the stage for a fierce first-half battle.
Saranac Lake’s defense began to impose its will by the third quarter, especially inside the Red Storm’s red zone. Their defense stifled the Spartans’ offense and created opportunities for playmakers like David Montrory to play bully ball on the ground.
Montroy credits his bruising run style to some of football’s greats.
“I mean, my favorite running backs of all time are players like Water Payton and Earl Campbell” Montroy said. “I just watch their film before every game and try to run like them. Why not? I don’t have to be the nice guy out there.”
The Red Storm came out firing in the second half, with Goetz continuing to dominate out of position. The quarterback barreled through the Spartans’ defense and made defenders miss ease as he shuffled into the endzone with a 36-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, though another two-point conversion attempt fell short.
That touchdown was Goetz’s first in multiple offensive drives.
“Feels good to finally be in the end zone again,” Goetz said. “Yeah, it’s just we came in here over the last couple of weeks not doing well on offense, so we changed some things up and worked well.”
The Red Storm’s momentum was bolstered further when Saranac committed a crucial error, resulting in a safety from an overhead snap on a punt. Saranac Lake had a one-score lead of 14-6 in a blink of an eye.
With the game nearing its conclusion, Goetz struck again for the hat trick, capping off his impressive night after punching in an 8-yard touchdown run that led to a successful extra point conversion, extending the Red Storm’s lead to 21-6.
Goetz finished the night with 115 yards of Saranac Lake’s 236 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, solidifying his status as the Red Storm’s difference-maker in this matchup.
“You know, all year we’ve been focusing on this game, then playoffs,” Goetz said. “But no, it’s, it’s, it’s big to come in here to win, but still got to play them again. So I can’t get too cocky.”
The defense of Saranac Lake proved too formidable for the Spartan’s ground game. Without running back River Poulin, Saranac’s bread-and-butter rushing attack fell silent.
“I think it was just that, you know,” Bennett said. “You want to always try to take away what a team does best. I have a lot of respect for Coach Everleth, but it’s always good when you get a team doing what you think is their plan B, and we accomplished that today.”
Looking ahead, the Red Storm (4-2) will face Plattsburgh (4-3), who are fresh off a loss to Beekmantown, and they’ll need to harness the energy from this win to maintain their momentum heading into Sectionals.
“Plattsburgh is a super dynamic team,” Bennett said. “They’ve got some dynamite receivers and a great quarterback, so we’re gonna have to put together a heck of a defensive plan and then keep the ball away from them with a ground-and-pound offense.”
On the other hand, Saranac’s road doesn’t get any easier as they gear up for a non-league contest against the Canton Golden Bears, looking to improve on their 1-6 season record.
“We’re making the plays that we need to,” Everleth said, “Guys are stepping up big. It’s just about getting over that hump a little bit and just really playing four good quarters.
“I mean, we’re capable of doing those things right. And, you know, we’ve shown it. We just got to do it a little bit longer.”
As October continues into its last vestiges, every game becomes a vital opportunity for squads to reinvent themselves. Teams like Saranac and Saranac Lake have plenty of time to remold their identities and establish a new foothold heading into the postseason.
They’ve been working hard all year,” Bennett said. “They never implode, they never point the finger at one another, and they just seem to love football and do things the right way.”
With the postseason being as unpredictable as it can be, anything can happen in the next two weeks and change the season’s outcome. For these class C teams, consistency is key, and these guys are familiar enough with each other to finish an unexpected season with hardware in their school’s trophy display.
To Saranac Lake players like David Montroy, the confidence heading into Sectionals is palpable.
“I mean, they have some great players,” Montroy said. “We just got to play like we did today, and we’ll get it done.”
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Saranac Lake 21, Saranac 6
SL 6 0 8 7 – 21
SCS 6 0 0 0 – 6
Scoring Summary-
First Quarter
SCS- Dubay 21 pass from Lucia (kick blocked), 3:04.
SL- Goetz 40 run (Nicholas’s pass failed), 0:23.
Third Quarter
SL- Goetz 36 run (Nicholas’s run failed), 7:08.
SL- Saranac safety (overhead snap on punt), 4:56.
Fourth Quarter
SL- Goetz 8 run (Nicholas XP good), 11:57.
Individual Statistics
RUSHING
SL- Montroy 16-63. Goetz 8-115, 3TD. Nicholas 7-20. Lawrence 5-28. Martelle 3-10. TOTALS: 39-236, 3 TD.
SCS- Lucia 12-39. Larche 8-9. Boulds 3-24. TOTALS: 23-72.
PASSING
SL- Goetz, 2-3-0-11.
SCS- Lucia, 6-14-1-90, TD.
RECEIVING
SL- Martelle 1-6. Clark 1-5. TOTALS: 2-11.
SCS- Dubay 3-30, TD. Duffield 1-32. Powers 1-12. Boulds 1-16 TOTALS: 6-14, TD, INT.
INTERCEPTIONS
SL- Lawrence