Saranac Lake holds off AuSable Valley behind late defensive stops

SARANAC LAKE | Saranac Lake's defense rose to the occasion, turning back AuSable Valley twice in the fourth quarter, including a decisive stop with 1:09 left, to hold on for a 14-9 win on Friday, Sept. 19. AuSable Valley came out of its second timeout facing a fourth-and-five from Saranac Lake's 28-yard line with 1:16 remaining. But Aiden Blaise's pass fell incomplete, and Saranac Lake took over on downs. The Patriots controlled the ball for the first 6:34 of the fourth quarter, marching all the way down to Saranac Lake's 7-yard line. Two running plays lost yardage, followed by a pair of incompletions, ended the scoring threat. "Our front-seven is very, very tough," Saranac Lake's David Montroy said. "We're skilled, and we come ready to play every single play. We knew what was at stake, and we delivered." Owen Lawrence converted his second field goal, a 29-yarder, with one second remaining in the third quarter. The kick occurred only 3:40 after AuSable Valley pulled within 11-9, when Marco Amato hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Blaise. The run on the potential game-tying conversion was denied. Lawrence's 20-yard field goal supplied Saranac Lake with an 11-3 lead with 3:05 to play in the first half. The Red Storm ultimately scored 12 of their 14 points on special teams, getting an electrifying 84-yard kickoff return from Scottie Nicholas to start the game. "I just want to give all the credit to our kids and coach (John) Pillen," Saranac Lake head coach Eric Bennett said. "This is coach Pillen's second year, and he has done an inordinate amount of work on special teams. We've really made it a focus of our program, and the results are clear." Lucas Dashnaw, whose game-deciding kick helped AuSable Valley over Plattsburgh High last weekend, drilled a 25-yarder with 8:35 left in the second quarter to get the Patriots on the board. AuSable Valley totaled 272 yards of offense, led by Aiden Blaise's 142 passing yards and Deon Lawyer's 89 yards on the ground. The Patriots have competed in consecutive one-score games after enduring a 14-game losing streak. "We've been preaching all year about changing our culture, working hard and being there for each other," AuSable Valley first-year head coach Matt Stanley said. "We've all been working together, learning a new system, learning our football IQ and really trying to figure out everything that happens on the field and where we need to be and what we need to do. "We have guys who want to play. I am so proud of this team. I couldn't have asked for a better effort during this game. We just need to go out and make sure we put it all together, have a great week of practice, bring it into a game and execute." Both quarterbacks turned in solid performances. Saranac Lake sophomore Evan Harvey went 8-for-9 passing for 76 yards, highlighted by a 30-yard completion to Austin Webb-Brown. Blaise connected on 12 of 24 attempts for 142 yards, including six completions of 10 yards or more. Amato hauled in four passes for 56 yards and the score, and Warren Pray matched him with four receptions for 43 yards. With the win, Saranac Lake remained unbeaten in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference. "We'll take it, but we're not anywhere near where I think we can be," Bennett said. "What I do love about our kids is we don't have to worry about people not showing up. We don't have to worry about people being late. They're there, they're present, they're hungry, and they want to eat. "So we're going to keep feeding them and keep improving each week." — Saranac Lake 14, AuSable Valley 9 AuSable Valley 0 3 6 0 — 9 Saranac Lake 8 3 3 0 — 14 First quarter SL- S. Nicholas 84 kick return (O. Lawrence pass from E. Harvey), 11:48. Second quarter AV- Dashnaw 25 field goal, 8:35. SL- O. Lawrence 20 field goal, 3:05. Third quarter AV- Amato 39 pass from Blaise (run failed), 3:41. SL- O. Lawrence 29 field goal, 0:01. Individual statistics Rushing AV- Blaise 7-(-8); Lawyer 17-89; Pray 6-15; Dashnaw 3-28; Amato 3-6. Totals: 36-130. SL- Montroy 12-73; S. Nicholas 2-12; Team 3-(-11); Martelle 2-(-6); E. Harvey 2-(-1); Webb-Brown 2-14. Totals: 23-81. Passing AV- Blaise 12-24-0-142, TD. SL- E. Harvey 8-9-0-76. Receiving AV- Lawyer 2-17; Amato 4-56, TD; Pray 4-43; LeClair-Kennedy 1-1; Dashnaw 1-25. SL- Martelle 2-6; B. Harvey 1-15; S. Nicholas 2-5; O. Lawrence 2-20; Webb-Brown 1-30.

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Saranac Lake holds off AuSable Valley behind late defensive stops

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