Gouverneur advances, OFA stopped short in regional football action

Nov. 11—OFA was stopped short and Gouverneur advanced in a pair of North Country Super Bowl football games filled with fourth quarter dramatics on Friday.

In the Class B action at Potsdam High School Peru stopped OFA's attempt to tie the score with a two-point conversion with 46.7 seconds remaining in the game. In Class C action at Plattsburgh High School, Raine Rumble caught two fourth quarter touchdown passes from Holden Stowell with the second coming with 20 seconds to play to lift Gouverneur to a 13-10 win over Saranac Central. The Section 7 Champions got off a long field attempt which missed on the final play of the game.

Peru (9-1) will advance to a regional championship game against Section 2 Champion Schuylerville at a Section 2 site on Friday night. Gouverneur (8-1) will host the Section 2 Class C champion Fonda-Fultonville at OFA.

CLASS B

OFA (7-3) never led in the second half but had two chances for ties denied on failed pass plays for two-point conversions in the third and fourth quarters. The Blue Devils used eight and nine yard carries by Cam Griffith to key a dramatic drive after the Night Hawks opened a 20-12 lead with 4:49 to play when quarterback Ethan Breen found flanker Landen Duprey for a 38 yard touchdown pass.

When an excessive celebration penalty pushed Peru out of comfortable range for a an extra point kick the Devils broke up a passing attempt for the conversion and started a drive for a possible tie when Lucca LaBella broke three tackles on the kick return carrying the ball to midfield.

Andrew Loffler crashed into the endzone from two yards out for his third touchdown of the day with 46.7 seconds but the bid for a tie was thwarted when Wyatt Bridges' delivery sack of OFA quarterback Madden West broke up a roll out passing attempt for the conversion.

"We told Wyatt to say home on the conversion in case their quarterback kept the ball. He did and we were able to break up the play. I told the guys on the conversion that heart would be the key to our defense," said Peru Coach Ryon O'Connell. "It was a tremendous football game by both teams."

Big plays carried the Nighthawks to the victory after OFA took a 6-0 lead when Loffler (21-102) broke three tackle on a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Peru gained a 7-6 halftime lead when Zack Engstrom (14-162) bolted 21 yards to the endzone and Maggie Garrow added the PAT.

The lead became 14-6 on the first possession of the second half when Engstrom broke loose for a 21-yard run and Garrow connected for another PAT. OFA answered with a one-yard scoring buck by Andrew Loffler after Cam Griffith pitched a perfect fourth option pass to Nicoli Ramsell who made an acrobatic catch along the sidelines. A two-point conversion pass failed and the difference stood at 14-12 and set up the exchange of two fourth quarter touchdowns.

"It was just a great effort. Our guys just would not be denied and we had our chances to win," said OFA Coach Matt Tessmer.

"What our guys did after our first league game was amazing. Our offense and defense lines came so far. And tonight our defense really played well."

CLASS C

Gouverneur kept its cause alive by blocking field goal attempts the second and third quarters and rallied in the fourth quarter behind quarterback Holden Stowell who threw touchdown passes of four and 11 yards to Raine Rumble who also kicked the PAT on his first touchdown pass.

Stowell completed for 10 of 23 passes for 102 yards and Rumble caught eight of the passes for 65 yards.

Saranac (8-2) took a 7-0 lead 33 seconds before the half when Zander Daniels caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Hamel. Hamel also booted a 32-yard field for a 10-lead with 11:07 remaining in thge game.

Daniels also rushed for 135 yards on 17 carries and Vinny Thomas led Gouverneur's rushing with 91 yards on 10 carries.

PERU 20 — OFA 18

Peru 0-7-7-6 20

OFA 0- 6 6 6 18

Second Quarter:

O — Loffler on 12 run (kick failed)

P — Engstrom 60 run (Garrow kick).

Third Quarter

P — Engstrom on 20 run (Garrow kick)

O Loffler (O) on 2 run (pass failed).

Fourth Quarter

P — Duprey on 38 pass from Breen (pass failed)

O- Loffler on 2 run (pass failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: P — Engstrom 14-162 2 TDs, Bridges 5-57, Breen 1-6. O — Loffler 21-102 3 TDs, Ramie 6-15, West 2-4, Griffith 2-17.

Passing: P — 7x14- 102-1 1 TD, O — West 10x19-1-64, Griffiyh 1x1-28.

Receiving: P — Daniels 2-12, Duprey 2-84 1 TD, Bridges 1-7, Engstrom 2-4, O — Griffith 1-14, Loffler 1-5, Ramsdell 3-40, LaBella 2-18

Interceptions: P — Engstrom, O — Ramie.

Fumble Recoveries: O — LaBella, Denner.

Records: Peru 9-1, OFA 7-3.

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GOUVERNEUR 13 — SARANAC 10

GCS 0 0 0 13 — 13

SCS 0 7 0 3 — 10

Scoring Summary

2nd Quarter

S- Daniels 7 pass from Hamel (Hamel kick) :33

4th Quarter

S- Hamel 32 yard field goal 11:05

G- Rumble 4 pass from Stowell (Rumble kick) 6:41

G- Rumble 11 pass from Stowel (kick missed) :20

Individual Statistics

Rushing

G- Thomas 10-91, Cornell 3-15, Stowell 11-11, Gates 1-(-4). TOTALS: 25-113

S- Daniels 17-135, Lucia 10-29, Hamel 10-25, Clancy 2-12, McCoy 1-6. TOTALS: 40-207

Passing

G- Stowell 10-23-106 2 TD

S- Lucia 7-9-67, Hamel 1-1-7 TD. TOTALS: 8-10-74 TD

Receiving

G- Rumble 8-65 2 TD, Thomas 1-26, Simmons 1-10. TOTALS: 9-106 2 TD

S- Clancy 4-41, DeAngelo 2-22, Daniels 1-7 TD, Hamel 1-4. TOTALS: 8-74 TD