Moriah (4) makes a two-handed leaping catch over Peru's Isaac Rogers (15) for the Vikings' score. CLINTONVILLE, N.Y. — Under the lights on a field built for moments like this, No. 18 Peru turned Ausable Valley High School's historic turf debut into a memorable Friday night showcase. After falling behind early, the unbeaten Nighthawks unleashed a relentless offense and pulled away from Moriah for a 42-28 win, remaining perfect while adding another chapter to their undefeated campaign. The first varsity football game played on Ausable Valley's new turf field opened with Moriah seizing the momentum. The Vikings struck first when No. 25 crossed the goal line on an 8-yard touchdown run just 2:35 into the contest, giving Moriah a 6-0 lead and energizing the crowd. Peru quickly settled in behind Brody Blaise Smith's running. The Nighthawks answered at 9:21 of the opening quarter when Smith powered in from three yards out, and the extra point gave Peru a 7-6 lead. The Nighthawks took control in the second quarter. Smith found the end zone again on a 3-yard touchdown run with 3:46 left, extending the lead to 14-6. Peru's offense continued to click later in the quarter when Marco Amato hauled in a 36-yard touchdown reception at the 6:57 mark, pushing the advantage to 21-6. Moriah refused to back down. The Vikings answered with a 23-yard touchdown reception by No. 4 at 10:30 into the quarter, cutting the deficit to 21-14 and briefly shifting the momentum back in their favor. Peru responded immediately with another big play through the air. Amato caught his second touchdown of the night on a 19-yard scoring reception at 11:27, sending the Nighthawks into halftime with a comfortable 28-14 lead. The Nighthawks carried that momentum into the second half. Deon Lawyer scored on a 5-yard touchdown run at the 3:39 mark of the third quarter to make it 35-14. Moriah countered with a 3-yard touchdown reception by No. 12 at the 11:10 mark, trimming the lead to 35-20 heading into the final quarter. Any hopes of a Vikings comeback died early in the fourth. Smith delivered the game's defining moment when he broke free for a spectacular 67-yard touchdown run 5:49 into the quarter. The explosive play stretched Peru's lead to 42-20 and capped a three-touchdown performance from the standout back. Moriah added one final score on a 16-yard touchdown reception by No. 12 with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings could not get closer as Peru secured the 42-28 win. Smith finished with three rushing touchdowns, Amato caught two touchdown passes, and Lawyer added another score on the ground as the Nighthawks improved to 8-0 and completed a perfect regular season impressively. As players and fans lingered under the lights after the final whistle, the first game on Ausable Valley's new turf ended. For Moriah, the night marked the end of the regular season and the beginning of postseason preparations. For Peru, it was the latest statement from one of Section VII's premier programs. The Nighthawks walked off the new surface with their perfect record intact, capping an unbeaten regular season and carrying plenty of momentum into the games that matter most.

Peru's Marco Amato (4) with the catch between a pair of Vikings defenders for the score.

Greenwich's Calvin Curtis (2) and the interception along the sidelines are intended for Moriah's Isaac White (3). The NYSPHSAA Class D football tournament quarterfinals would be the Moriah Vikings from Section VII. It would take on the #6 Greenwich Witches from the Beekmantown High School with a spot in the final four from Middletown next weekend on the line. The Witches would get the game's opening score just 3:53 into the game on the 20-yard keeper by Ryan Ingber for the 6-0 lead. The Witches wouldn't be done there as they would score again at the 8:17 mark of the first quarter on a 39-yard pass and catch Jay'den White to make it a 12-0 game. The game would stay there till there was about 2:30 left in the half when Ryan Ingber would score again, and this time from 23 yards, as the Witches would take the 18-0 lead, and that's where the first half would end. When the teams returned for the second, the Witches would pick up where they left off, strike on a 48-yard pass, and catch Joseph Radovich to expand their lead to 26-0. Then, about halfway through the fourth quarter, the Vikings would get on the board and break the shutout bid on the score from the Hughey run to make it a 26-6 game. Then, with about 2:30 left in the game, the Witches would add one more score, this time from William Weber, as they would secure the 34-6 victory. That would end the season for the Moriah Vikings as they finish at 4-5. As for the Greenwich Witches, their season will continue as they go to 10-1, and they will take on #4 Burke Catholic in the final four next weekend from Middletown. Gallery

Moriah's Cooper Allen (4) with the leaping catch along the sidelines that he would get for the first down. Gallery

Moriah's Cooper Allen (4) with the tough catch in traffic that gets them inside the 5-yard line on the drive. It would be the section vii class D championship football game from the Beekmantown High School, and it would feature the #1 Moriah Vikings and the #2 Ausable Valley Patriots, with the winner getting a spot in the NYSPHSAA Class D Tournament quarterfinals on November 23rd. The game's opening score would be one rare variety as the Vikings would get a safety with five minutes left in the quarter and take the 2-0 lead. Then, with 4 minutes left in the quarter, we would have our first touchdown as they would hit Chase McGiness for the touchdown and take the 10-0 lead. The Patriots would come back and get on the board just 36 seconds into the second quarter on the 22-yard run by John Fletcher to make it a 10-6 game. The Vikings would answer right back at the 2:35 mark of the quarter on a 4-yard strike to Cooper Allen, and they would regain their double-digit lead at 17-6. The Patriots would not let that get them down as they would answer right back 90 seconds later on the Hayden Bombard 15-yard strike and be back within one score at 18-14. The Vikings would answer back with a 6-yard run by Jacob Mascarenas and take the 24-14 lead into the locker room. When the teams return for the second half, the Vikings will take control of the game as they got three more unanswered scores from Cooper Allen, Jacob Mascarenas, and Jaydin Hughes, securing the 43-14 victory. In the winning effort, the Moriah Vikings would go to 4-4 on the season and will play the section 1 team in the quarterfinals of the state tournament in two weeks. As for the Ausable Valley Patriots, their season will end at 0-8. Gallery

Ausable Valley's Hayden Bombard (2) gets some help as they bring Moriah's Jacob Mascarenas as they were looking to score. Gallery

Beekmantown's Chris Frennier (21) with low leg tackle on Moriah's Mason Feely (21) as he tried to take it down the sidelines for the score. It would be week #6 of the Champlain Vallery Athletic Conference Football season, and it would see the Moriah Vikings traveling up to Beekmantown and taking on the #25 Beekmantown Eagles as the Eagles would look to continue their winning ways. The Eagles would get the scoring going in the first quarter at the 8:14 mark on the 43-yard run by Parker Broughton to take the 7-0 lead. The game would stay there till the 7:27 mark of the second quarter when the Vikings would strike for a 16-yard pass to Wyatt Whitman to tie the game at seven. The tie would be short-lived, though, as the Eagles would march down the field in 90 seconds and regain the lead at 14-7 on the 19-yard pass to Parker Broughton. Then, to close out the half, Patrick Hagadorn would hit a field goal to take the 17-7 lead into the intermission. When the teams returned for the second half, the Eagles would stay hot as they extended the lead to 24-7 on Shamus Bilbeau's 28-yard run. The way through the quarter, Shamus Bilbeau would strike again, this time from 11 yards, as they took control of the game at 31-7. The game would stay there till the 4:33 mark of the fourth quarter when the Vikings would get another score, this time from Joe Pelkey from 8 yards to make it a 31-13 game, and that's where the game would end. With the win, the Beekmantown Eagles would go to 5-1 on the season as they will host the Plattsburgh Hornets in their home finale. As for the Moriah Vikings, they fall to 2-3 on the season and will take on the Ticonderoga Sentinels next week in their return to 11-man football. Gallery

Moriah's Wyatt Whittman (11) with the catch in the back of the endzone for the Vikings touchdown. Gallery

Plattsburgh's Braeden Calkins (12) lowers the body on the sidelines and goes through the would-be tackler. It would be the fourth week of Champlain Valley Athletic Conference Football, and it would see the Plattsburgh Hornets hosting long-time hoe the Moriah Vikings from the high school complex. The game would start with upstart Hornets getting the first score of the game just 3:50 into the contest on the 12-yard strike to Braeden Calkins as the Hornets would take the early 8-0 lead. The Hornets wouldn't be done there, though, as they would take control of the game in the last 30 seconds of the first quarter when they would find Dominic Deangelo in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to give the Hornets a 16-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. There would be no scoring in the 2nd quarter, so the teams would head into the locker room at 16-0 Hornets, looking for the upset victory. When the teams return for the third quarter, it would be more of the same as there would be no scoring in the quarter, and the Hornets would take that two-score lead into the fourth. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets would take control of the game at the 4:00 mark on the quarterback sneak by Dan Hartman and take the 24-0 lead, and that's where the game would end. In the winning effort, the Hornets go to 2-2 on the season as they will have a nonleague road against the Malone Huskies next weekend. As for the Moriah Vikings, they will fall to 1-2 on the season as they look to get back to 500 next week as they will take on the Ausable Valley Patriots. Gallery

Moriah's Wyatt Whitman (11) with the catch along the sidelines that he tiptoes for the first down. Gallery