BEEKMANTOWN — It’s an instant classic that will go down in North Country football lore.
Saranac pulled off a 30-28 victory over Saranac Lake, avenging a loss earlier in the season, to claim the Section VII Class C championship, Saturday.
The game lived up to the hype, with both teams exchanging haymakers in a contest that saw multiple lead changes and a dramatic final play that could only be scripted in a Hollywood movie.
That play was a nail-biting two-point conversion attempt for Saranac Lake, down two with 1:37 remaining in the fourth quarter.
On the crucial two-point try, Red Storm quarterback Zack Goetz took the snap and raced to the left side of the field, looking to dive for the pylon. But in one of the most dramatic plays of the game, Saranac’s defense stepped up.
Landon Powers and Antoney Bingham combined for a clutch stop at the goal line, preventing Goetz from reaching the end zone and keeping the game a two-point lead for the Chiefs.
“That’s what we have preached as a unit all year,” said Saranac head coach Dylan Everleth.
“We bend but don’t break, you know, and our guys backed up that philosophy by keeping Saranac Lake out of the end zone the second quarter, we made stops when it counted, and our offense took it from there.”
Saranac Lake would attempt an onside kick in a valiant effort, but Saranac recovered the kick, effectively running out the clock to close out the game and win the championship.
It was the seniors who stepped up for the Spartans, as they have all year. Running back River Poulin was a workhorse with 152 yards on 26 carries with three touchdowns.
“Our coaches came into this matchup with a great game plan, and we executed,” Poulin said.
“I’m thankful for them, my line, all of my teammates. I’m proud of my boys. I don’t know, football is everything to me, I hope I keep playing after this year.”
His backfield mate, quarterback Zach Lucia had 127 yards on 13 carries with one passing touchdown.
The game started with the Red Storm getting off to a hot start, scoring two quick touchdowns in the first quarter.
The first came from a 1-yard run by David Montroy, and less than 20 seconds later after forcing a Saranac turnover, quarterback Goetz added another touchdown with a 30-yard run to give Saranac Lake an early 15-0 lead.
Saranac Lake’s defense also played a big role early on, keeping Saranac off the board and stifling their run game.
After a slow start, the Spartan offense got itself back in the game in the second quarter with two quick scores. The first came from a 25-yard run by senior running back River Poulin.
“I love it when I get a breakaway like that,” Poulin said. “Get a nice spin. Move on someone and just cook them down the sideline. It definitely gave me momentum to do what I did today, and playing as a unit gave us the confidence to come back in the game the way we did.”
However, with just 12 seconds left in the first half, Saranac quarterback Zach Lucia connected with wide receiver Xavier Dubay on an 11-yard touchdown pass, bringing the Spartans an inch closer to the Red Storm’s lead before halftime at 14-15.
“Xavier was in the right place at the right time,” Lucia said. “We have a strong connection on the field, but that’s our job, it’s a complete team effort, so I just have to worry about getting my guys the ball and letting them do their work from there.”
Beginning the third quarter, Saranac Lake responded with another touchdown early, as Goetz capped off a 4-yard run to put the Red Storm back in front, 22-14. But four minutes later, in quick succession, the Spartans answered once again with a 1-yard touchdown run by Poulin, making it a one-point game again at 22-21.
The fourth quarter began with another crucial drive from Saranac. Poulin, who was running with excessive horsepower all afternoon, capped off a 12-yard touchdown run for his third score of the day to put the Spartans up 30-22.
“That’s what we’ve been good at all year, running the ball down the other team’s throat,” Everleth said.
“I thought we did a great job on the offensive line, blocking for Zach and River, you know, hats out to these guys, we don’t win that game without them.”
The Red Storm refused to go down quietly. With minutes remaining in the final quarter, Saranac Lake mounted a final drive that saw Goetz run it in from 6 yards out, bringing the score to 30-28 with just 1:37 left on the clock. All the Red Storm needed was a two-point conversion to tie it up.
With about 1:30 left, Saranac Lake had no choice but to attempt an onside kick to keep their hopes alive. But the kick was recovered by the Spartans, and Saranac was able to run out the clock to seal the victory and claim the Section 7 Class C title.
“It feels amazing to repeat as champs,” Lucia said. “It was a great team performance. Everything from our defense, our line, and the second quarter comeback, we’ve been preaching all year, peak in the postseason.”
The Red Storm have nothing to hang their head about as they played an impressive game. The downfall was going 20 minutes without a point, allowing the Spartans to mount a comeback before the game got out of hand.
Zack Goetz was impressive, running for 87 yards and 3 touchdowns. But, in the biggest moment of the game, his heroics couldn’t overcome the hump.
While the failed two-point conversion proved to be the nail in the coffin for Saranac Lake. The Red Storm’s defense also struggled to stop the Spartans’ explosive ground game, as they allowed 316 total rushing yards on the day.
The afternoon’s turning point came in the second quarter when Saranac’s defense made a key stop to stifle a potential Saranac Lake touchdown drive. The momentum shift on defense allowed the Spartans to gain the confidence to seal the victory.
While the Red Storm’s season ended in heartbreak, Saranac Lake head coach Eric Bennett was proud of his team’s effort.
“Our guys made a full commitment this season, starting in the winter, doing things like leadership councils and, you know, being committed to the weight room,” Bennett said.
“And they’ve been ‘yes coach, no coach’ kids all season, they were a total pleasure to coach. My heart breaks for them that we couldn’t get it done.”
For Saranac, it was a fitting end to a rollercoaster season. After struggling through a three-game losing streak and sitting at 1-6, they pulled together to win their last two games in dramatic fashion and finish as Section 7, Class C champions.
The Spartans now will hit the road for the third consecutive season as they face a familiar state playoff opponent in Section X’s Gouverneur (5-3). The site is where the season began for Saranac, at Ogdensburg with a 7 p.m. kickoff, Friday.
“We’re locked right in, we’ve got a great group of kids, and they all trust each other. It’s been a work in progress, fine-tuning week by week, but from all three sides of the football today as a team, everybody stepped up and, you know, it was huge. We’re going to celebrate right now, but our energy is shifted towards next weekend.”
—
Saranac 30, Saranac Lake 28
SCS;0;14;8;8;-;30
SLCS;15;0;7;6;-;28
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
SLCS- Montroy 1 run (Montroy run good) 5:56.
SLCS- Goetz 30 run (Lawrence kick good), 5:39.
Second Quarter
SCS- Poulin 25 run (Lucia kick blocked), 7:18.
SCS- Lucia 11 pass to Dubay (Lucia pass to Boulds pass good), 0:12.
Third Quarter
SLCS- Goetz 4 run (Lawrence kick good), 6:54.
SCS- Poulin 1 run (Lucia run good), 2:40.
Fourth Quarter
SCS- Poulin 12 run (Lucia run good), 6:31.
SLCS- Goetz 6 run (Goetz run failed), 1:37.
Individual Statistics
RUSHING
SCS- Poulin 26-152, 3TD. Lucia 13-127. Boulds 4-37. TOTALS: 43-316, 3TD.
SLCS- Goetz 20-87, 3TD. Montroy 15-65, TD. Martelle 2-21. Nicholas 2-2. Lawrence 1-4. TOTALS: 40-179, 4TD.
PASSING
SCS- Lucia, 3-8-1-36, TD.
PHS- Goetz, 4-6-0-49. Martelle 1-1-0-17
RECEIVING
SCS- Dubay 2-35, TD. Poulin 1-1. TOTALS: 3-36, TD.
SLCS- Lawrence 2-30. Harvey 1-10. Martelle 1-9. Goetz 1-17. TOTALS: 5-66.
INTERCEPTIONS
SLCS- Clark