OFA makes late stop to hold off Beekmantown

PLATTSBURGH | Ogdensburg Free Academy's defense delivered when it mattered most. The Blue Devils made a game-sealing stop at their 5-yard line with 2:35 left to hold off Beekmantown for a 14-10 win in a NYSPHSAA Class B football sub-regional on Friday, Nov. 15 at Plattsburgh High. Ogdensburg junior Lucca Labella rushed 25 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 8:57 remaining. Beekmantown entered the red zone five times but left empty handed on three occasions. The Eagles lost a fumble on their opening possession, threw an interception on their first drive of the second half and turned the ball over on downs late. Beekmantown entered the contest averaging 35.6 points per game but was held to its lowest point total on the season. "We needed to make one more play, and it didn't happen offensively," Beekmantown head coach Joe Fish said. "When you hold a really good Ogdensburg team to 14 points defensively, that's impressive." Ogdensburg's go-ahead possession covered 12 plays, 71 yards and took 6 minutes, 14 seconds off the clock. It was capped by Labella's 1-yard touchdown run with 8:57 remaining. One play prior, No. 22 Ogdensburg (9-1) converted a crucial fourth-and-inches from the 4-yard line, where Labella's 3-yard run extended the drive. "Yeah, it's tough," Fish said. "The defense has played great, though. They've bent all year and not broken. Like I said, to give up only 14 points against a really good OFA team is something to be proud about. "We had our chances. We just didn't execute on the field. So I give OFA credit, and I'm also proud that our offense put us in a situation to have a chance." No. 16 Beekmantown (8-2) took its first lead with 3:18 left in the third quarter, when Patrick Hagadorn drilled a 31-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 10-7 advantage. Beekmantown's defense forced a three-and-out from Ogdensburg's 6-yard line, and Ogdensburg's 40-yard punt gifted Beekmantown plus territory. Beekmantown was faced with a fourth-and-three from Ogdensburg's 14-yard line and settled for the field goal. Hunter Porter, starting for injured quarterback Josh Sand, found the end zone on an 8-yard sneak with 2:20 remaining in the first half. Hagadorn's 32nd successful PAT of the season deadlocked the score at 7-7. Labella, who stands 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, opened the scoring with 11:16 to go in the second quarter. He escaped a would-be tackle at the line of scrimmage and waltzed to the end zone from 6 yards out. "They're big, they're strong, they hit hard but so do we," Labella said. "It was just a good, physical game. It came down to the last minute or two, and we managed to come out on top." Parker Broughton led Beekmantown with 119 yards on 20 carries. He finished his senior season with 1,374 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Only Justin Stevens rushed for more single-season yards (1,963) in program history, which dates back to 1960. Beekmantown finished 8-2, capturing CVAC and Section VII Class B championships while achieving its winningest season since 2018. "A lot of firsts for Beekmantown in a ways," Fish said. "CVAC champs, sectional champs (and) being ranked 16th in the state is something that hasn't been done in a long time either. "All the credit goes to the kids. They've done everything we've asked. They've really bought into everything we've asked them to do, and I'm extremely proud of them." – Ogdensburg Free Academy 14, Beekmantown 10 Ogdensburg Free Academy 0 7 0 7 – 14 Beekmantown 0 7 3 0 – 10 Second quarter O- Labella 6 run (Garvey kick), 11:16. B- Porter 8 run (Hagadorn kick), 2:20. Third quarter B- Hagadorn 31 field goal, 3:18. Fourth quarter O- Labella 1 run (Garvey kick), 8:57. Individual statistics Rushing O- Labella 25-165, 2TD; Amo 5-23; Grenier 1-2; West 4-29; Austin 1-3; Team 2-(-1). Totals: 38-221, 2TD. B- Bibeau 10-63; Broughton 20-119; Porter 5-18, TD; M. Herrera 2-9. Totals: 37-209, TD. Passing O- West 4-8-1-35; Labella 0-1-0-0. Totals: 4-9-1-35. B- Porter 3-7-1-67. Receiving O- Ramsdell 2-17; Pharoah 1-6; Labella 1-12. B- Bibeau 1-7; Hagadorn 1-30; Brown 1-30. Interceptions O- Cree. B- M. Herrera.

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OFA makes late stop to hold off Beekmantown

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