Peru shuts down PHS, rolls to Class B championship

PERU | Peru saved one of its best defensive performances of the season for its biggest game to date. The Nighthawks held Plattsburgh High to 88 yards of offense and forced three interceptions Nov. 7, rolling to a 41-7 victory in the Section VII Class B football championship at the Apple Bowl. Peru improved to 9-0 and captured its ninth Class B title since 2012 and fifth in the last six seasons. Plattsburgh High entered averaging 34.7 points and 332 yards per game, but Peru limited the Hornets to 37 rushing yards and 51 through the air. It was the fewest yards Peru has allowed since surrendering 38 in a 55-0 win over Saranac in Week 2. "Outstanding game plan by the defensive coaches," Peru head coach Ryon O'Connell said. "Coach (Jeff) Way, Coach (Brandon) Keleher and Coach (Pat) Keleher did an outstanding job, and the kids did a great job attacking the game plan and staying focused. "We had two weeks, and we really stressed it to them. I thought they did an outstanding job holding that offense under 100 yards. They have great playmakers. The quarterback is outstanding. The receivers are great. They have a big line and (Ben) Carpenter at running back. "If you had asked me beforehand, I wouldn't have expected (Plattsburgh High) to be held under 100 yards of offense. The kids were just locked in and played great defense." Peru took control early. Caleb Starke opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run with 6:46 remaining in the first quarter. Drew Engstrom then found Deacon Giroux for a 38-yard touchdown less than three minutes later to give the Nighthawks a 14-0 advantage. Brody Blaise-Smith extended the lead to 21-0 with a 10-yard touchdown run with 4:26 left in the second quarter. Blaise-Smith finished with 147 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries as Peru piled up 318 rushing yards. The senior has 1,305 rushing yards this season and 2,414 in his varsity career. "As far as the run game goes, I've got to give credit to the offensive line," Blaise-Smith said. "They also gave Drew (Engstrom) a ton of time in the passing game. They created big holes, and everything came together well today." Peru's defense kept Plattsburgh High from mounting a response, and the Nighthawks put the game away with two touchdowns 23 seconds apart late in the third quarter. Engstrom connected with Finley Coon for a 34-yard touchdown with 1:47 remaining to make it 28-0. On Plattsburgh High's ensuing possession, Isaiah Hendrix intercepted Colden Johnson and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown with 1:24 left, extending the advantage to 34-0. It was Hendrix's fourth pick-six of the season. He has also returned interceptions for touchdowns against Potsdam, Saranac and Beekmantown. Giroux intercepted Johnson twice, raising his season total to four. "I think the coaching we had all week to prepare for them helped the most," Giroux said. "Our boys came out to play when we needed it. We didn't allow many completed passes until our second-team defense went in. "Having someone I can always rely on to cover one of their best players is just amazing," Giroux said of Hendrix. "I don't have to worry about him, and I can go help on the other side. It just helps a ton." Starke added his second touchdown on a 26-yard run with 7:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Plattsburgh High avoided the shutout when Johnson found Cooper Holland for an 8-yard touchdown with 2:53 left. Johnson completed 7 of 21 passes for 51 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Unofficially, he finished his Plattsburgh High career as the program's all-time leader with 34 touchdown passes. Eian Brennan led the Hornets on the ground with 48 yards on seven carries, while Carpenter was held to 6 yards on six attempts. Ryan Colburn caught four passes for 34 yards. Engstrom completed 6 of 10 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Giroux led Peru with three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown, Coon caught two passes for 40 yards and a score, and Hendrix had a 48-yard reception. Deon Lawyer added 71 rushing yards on eight carries, while Starke finished with 41 yards and two touchdowns on six attempts. "I give all the credit to our coaches," Blaise-Smith said. "We had some close games in recent weeks, so I feel like that bye helped us refocus. I think the game plan was great, and we did a really good job of stopping them." The championship ended Plattsburgh High's bid for its first football title of any kind since 1981, when the Hornets won the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference and North Country Super Bowl championships. Plattsburgh High finished 7-3, completing its first seven-win season since 1982. Peru now turns its attention to the state tournament. The Nighthawks will face Section X Class B champion Franklin Academy (6-4) in a NYSPHSAA sub-regional at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at AuSable Valley in Clintonville. Franklin Academy erased a 14-0 deficit with 20 unanswered points to defeat Massena 20-14 for its first sectional championship since 2015. The Huskies and Peru share one common opponent. Plattsburgh High defeated Franklin Academy 45-0 in Week 1. "Yeah, we're very excited," Blaise-Smith said. "We've got to take it one team at a time. We've got Malone next week, so we're going to prepare for them." Week 10 Section VII Class B championship Peru Nighthawks 9-0 overall No. 18 NYSSWA Class B Final Plattsburgh High Hornets 7-3 overall No. 30 NYSSWA Class B 41 - 7 Score by Quarter Team 1 2 3 4 T Peru 14 7 13 7 41 Plattsburgh High 0 0 0 7 7 Scoring Summary First Quarter Peru6:46 Caleb Starke 4 run (Liam MacDougal kick) Peru4:34 Deacon Giroux 38 pass from Drew Engstrom (Liam MacDougal kick) Second Quarter Peru4:26 Brody Blaise-Smith 10 run (Liam MacDougal kick) Third Quarter Peru1:47 Finley Coon 34 pass from Drew Engstrom (Liam MacDougal kick) Peru1:24 Isaiah Hendrix 52 interception return (kick blocked) Fourth Quarter Peru7:35 Caleb Starke 26 run (Liam MacDougal kick) Plattsburgh High2:53 Cooper Holland 8 pass from Colden Johnson (Cooper Holland kick) Individual Statistics Rushing Plattsburgh High Player Att Yds TD Ben Carpenter 6 6 0 Colden Johnson 2 -11 0 Team 1 -1 0 Eian Brennan 7 48 0 Cooper Holland 1 0 0 Ryan Colburn 1 -5 0 Totals 18 37 0 Peru Player Att Yds TD Brody Blaise-Smith 12 147 1 Caleb Starke 6 41 2 Deon Lawyer 8 71 0 Drew Engstrom 3 2 0 Isaiah Hendrix 1 37 0 Logan Porter 1 -1 0 Dane Nelson 4 17 0 Kole Beshaw 2 4 0 Totals 37 318 3 Passing Plattsburgh High Player C-A-I Yds TD Colden Johnson 7-21-3 51 1 Peru Player C-A-I Yds TD Drew Engstrom 6-10-0 188 2 Deon Lawyer 0-1-0 0 0 Brody Blaise-Smith 0-1-0 0 0 Totals 6-12-0 188 2 Receiving Plattsburgh High Player Rec Yds TD Ryan Colburn 4 34 0 Will Boire 2 9 0 Cooper Holland 1 8 1 Peru Player Rec Yds TD Isaiah Hendrix 1 48 0 Deacon Giroux 3 100 1 Finley Coon 2 40 1 Interceptions Peru Deacon Giroux - 2 Isaiah Hendrix - 1, TD

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Peru shuts down PHS, rolls to Class B championship

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