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Ti topples Saranac Lake

Saranac Lake receiver Kyle Lewis shakes away from a Ticonderoga defender while picking up 8 yards on a pass reception in the final period of Saturday’s game. The senior scored later in the drive on a 40-yard catch on a ball thrown by quarterback Rhett Darrah. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

SARANAC LAKE — Great field position got Ticonderoga going in Saturday’s football game against Saranac Lake. Big plays helped the Sentinels gain some separation on the scoreboard by halftime, and a hard-nosed running attack combined with a quick, fast-closing defense took its toll on the Red Storm for most of the afternoon.

Despite putting up an admirable fight, Saranac Lake dropped its third game of the season, falling 35-13 to unbeaten Ticonderoga at Ken Wilson Field. The Sentinels, who are New York state’s seventh-ranked Class D team, improved to 4-0 in the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference while the Red Storm fell to 1-3.

Ticonderoga scored their first three touchdowns after getting drive starts from Saranac Lake’s 39-, 25- and 1-yard lines, and got their fourth score on a 60-yard run by senior quarterback Evan Graney to take a 28-7 lead into halftime. The Sentinels defense then stopped a deep Red Storm advance late in the third quarter that could have made the game a two-score contest, and turned that stand into a 74-yard drive for their fifth touchdown to seal the win.

Graney, along with running backs Trevor Parent, Hayden Scuderi and Jevyn Granger, accounted for 208 of their team’s rushing total of 215 yards while combing for four touchdowns on the ground. Graney also completed a touchdown pass to junior receiver Michael DuShane for Ticonderoga’s opening score, which came midway through the opening quarter.

Saranac Lake’s rushing attack, which was close to unstoppable during the first three games of the season, was virtually nonexistent on Saturday, as the Sentinels’ defense held the Red Storm to just 29 yards on 28 carries. Instead, Saranac Lake relied on the pass to stay close for awhile, and senior quarterback DJ Morgan had a solid outing, completing 17-of-23 attempts for 187 yards and one touchdown, a 26-yard strike to Ryan Meyer.

Ryan Meyer hauls in a touchdown pass for Saranac Lake despite the efforts of Sentinels’ defensive back Ethan Thompson in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“They had incredible field position,” Saranac Lake head coach Eric Bennett said. “We couldn’t get out of our own end initially, which put us behind the eight ball, and you can’t do that against a great team.”

Saranac Lake’s defense forced a punt on the opening possession of the game, but the Red Storm offense started off in a tough spot with the ball at its own 12. After a three-and-out set of downs, followed by a short punt, the Sentinels took over at Saranac Lake’s 39. Four players later, they were in the end zone on Graney’s 28-yard toss to DuShane.

Another woeful drive start, this time at their own 10, and a second-straight three-and-out by the Red Storm offense had Ticonderoga beginning its third possession just 25 yards away from another score. The Sentinels took advantage, marching the short distance in five plays with Scuderi crashing over the goal line from the 1-yard line.

Trailing 12-0, Saranac Lake finally got going midway through the second quarter. After a big punt return by junior Jacob Shipman, the Red Storm offense had the ball at the Sentinels’ 23. Saranac Lake actually got pushed back on the first three plays of the possession, but came through big time on a fourth-down-and 13 play when Morgan connected with Meyer on a 26-yard touchdown pass. Jarrett Ashton sent the conversion kick through the uprights, and all of a sudden, Saranac Lake was right back in the mix trailing 12-7.

The glimmer of hope, however, was really brief. On the ensuing kickoff, Ty Schlogl returned the ball 63 yards all the way to the Red Storm 1, and on the next play, Scuderi banged into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. Jevyn Granger added two more points on the conversion run as the Sentinels extended their edge to 20-7.

Kyle Shipman finds running room for Saranac Lake on a kick return during the second quarter of Saturday’s game. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

Saranac Lake again failed to gain a first down on the ensuing possession, and Graney answered by taking off a 60-yard touchdown run the next time the Sentinels had the ball. Granger tacked on two more points on his second conversion scamper.

“The big kickoff return was huge for us,” Ticonderoga head coach Scott Nephew said. “They had taken the momentum a little bit, their kids were playing very hard. Saranac Lake is a well-coached disciplined football team and they get the most out of their guys. Ty making that return and Evan going all the way, that was huge for us.”

After a scoreless third quarter, the teams added one more touchdown each in the fourth, starting with a 14-yard run by Parent on the second snap of the quarter. Parent’s scoring run capped off a 74-yard, 8-play drive that was all on the ground.

Trailing 35-7 and with the game out of reach, Saranac Lake sent in its second-team players, and with freshman quarterback Rhett Darrah leading the way, the Red Storm tossed in a bit of excitement for the home fans while wrapping up the game. With the clock winding down, Saranac Lake marched 65 yards, and Darrah capped off the drive by throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Lewis, who was left wide open behind the Sentinels’ secondary.

“It was nice seeing out backup quarterback move the ball down the field,” Bennett said. “It’s not often you get to see a freshman in that position. And you couldn’t ask for a better touchdown than to Kyle Lewis — love that kid — he’s a hard worker, he’s got great hands and I’m happy for him.”

Despite suffering another setback, there is optimism surrounding Saranac Lake football as the team heads into its final three regular season matchups with the playoffs to follow.

“That was a tough team to play, but it was fun just to grind it out,” said Red Storm lineman and captain Fox Thurston. “We put up a fight against one of the best Class D teams in the state. It feels good to put that much effort into and shut them down as well as we did at times, considering how tough and aggressive they are. We are 100 percent better than we were when the season started.”

“I feel like we’re playing Red Storm football in so far as we have kids who aren’t quitting, they’re battling every snap, they’re not pointing their fingers at anybody, they’re playing with enthusiasm and they’re doing whatever their coaches ask them to do,” Bennett said. “That’s all you can ask them to do and I wouldn’t trade any one of them.”

Ticonderoga 35, Saranac Lake 13

Sentinels 12 16 0 7 — 35

Red Storm 0 7 0 6 — 13

Scoring

First Quarter

Ti — DuShane 28 pass from Graney (Kick failed), 5:52.

Ti — Scuderi 1 run (Run failed), 9:38.

Second Quarter

SL — Meyer 26 pass from Morgan (Ashton kick), 6:01

Ti — Scuderi 1 run (Granger run), 6:19.

Ti — Graney 60 run (Granger run), 9:12

Fourth Quarter

Ti — Parent 14 run (Scuderi kick), :42.

SL — Lewis 40 pass from Darrah (Pass failed), 8:04.

Individual Statistics

RUSHING

Ticonderoga – Parent 10-75 TD, Scuderi 10-35 2TDs, Graney 3-66 TD, Granger 5-32, Dorsey 1-1, Reeves 1-(-5), Veneto 2-11. Totals: 32-215 4TDs.

Saranac Lake – Ashton 9-25, Morgan 10-(-20), LaHart 6-12, Darrah 3-12. Totals: 28-29.

PASSING

Ticonderoga – Graney 1-5-1-28TD.

Saranac Lake — Morgan 17-23-0-187 TD, Darrah 2-4-0-48 TD. Totals: 19-27-0-235 2TDs.

RECEIVING

Ticonderoga – DuShane 1-28 TD.

Saranac Lake – Ashton 5-8, Shipman 3-38, Walton 2-26, Meyer 7-115 TD, Lewis 2-48 TD.

INTERCEPTIONS

Saranac Lake – Swanson.

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