POTSDAM – In miserable wet conditions, Saranac Lake was able to run the ball, move the chains and play a turnover-free game Saturday to claim a 32-12 victory over Potsdam.

In a cross-over matchup played in the pouring rain from start to finish, the Red Storm broke open a contest that was tight early by scoring 20 unanswered points to notch their third straight win and improve to 6-2.

Junior Jarret Ashton rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns, Brandon Meyer ran for another score, and Joe Viscardo caught a touchdown pass on a day when he set a new Section VII record for career receiving yards. The senior and three-year starter hauled in six passes for 96 yards, which upped his career total to 1,818 to surpass the 1,795 yards that Peru’s Matt St. Clair posted from 2000 to 2002.

After struggling to stop the ‘Stoners running attack while allowing two long touchdown drives in the first half, the Red Storm defense buckled down after intermission and played shutout football the rest of the way. Saranac Lake head coach Eric Bennett credited part of his defense’s improvement to an extra set of eyes in the press box. Normally senior Drew Sturgeon would have been on the field playing linebacker, but was out nursing an ankle injury, so instead, he helped out with some coaching tips during the game.

“It was tough sledding in the first half for us defensively, but we made some nice adjustments in the second half,” Bennett said. “They did a great job of down blocking and then hitting the outside, and I think that was difficult for our guys to handle at first. Coach (Wade) Montroy and coach Drew Sturgeon came up with a great idea at halftime that we tried and it really worked. It was awesome. It was tight there, and it felt like we couldn’t stop them and all of a sudden Sturgeon comes along and gives a great suggestion at halftime.”

Both teams scored on their first two possessions. The Sandstoners, who stayed on the ground all afternoon and didn’t get off a single pass, started with the ball and drove 53 yards in 11 plays for the game’s first touchdown. Junior running back Brandon Buffham, who finished with a game-high 177 rushing yards, did the bulk of the work on the march. He carried the ball nine times for 46 yards, including a 2-yard dash into the end zone for a 6-0 Potsdam lead 5:44 into the game.

Saranac Lake responded with the next two touchdowns. On their first set of downs, the Red Storm went 62 yards in seven plays, with Meyer scoring from the 6-yard line on a run around the left side of his team’s line.

Saranac Lake then converted a Potsdam fumble on the ensuing kickoff into a 12-6 lead. Senior linebacker Jake Spadaro made the recovery at the ‘Stoners’ 49, and nine plays later, Ashton crossed the goal line on a 4-yard run.

Potsdam then mounted the longest march of the game to deadlock the score. The Sandstoners ground out 81 yards in 13 plays, with backup quarterback Braydon Bush diving in from the one with 8:10 gone in the second quarter.

The Red Storm then made it three-for-three on their first-half possessions to take the lead for good. Starting at its own 31, Saranac Lake drove the field and capped off the advance when Viscardo caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Will Coats. The play came on a fourth-and-six situation with 1:03 remaining in the first half.

Saranac Lake all but sealed the victory when it marched for a touchdown on the first possession of the second half, going 53 yards with Ashton banging in from the 5-yard line. Ashton tacked on the game’s final touchdown on a 2-yard run late in the game, and Meyer added more points on a Coats’ toss for the only successful two-point conversion play of the contest.

With Buffham leading the way, Potsdam ground out 236 yards on 47 carries, but only 88 of those yards came after halftime. Bush, who filled in for starting quarterback Cameron Talcott, who was out sick, finished with 41 yards on 11 carries, and Jacques Kuno chipped in 18 yards on four rushes.

“It was a good high school game,” said head coach Jim Kirka, whose Sandstoners fell to 4-4. “We made mistakes and every mistake we made, they took advantage of and scored. That’s how it went. They didn’t make mistakes. It’s high school football. Those who play clean, mistake-free football generally win and that’s what they did. Physically, it was a toss up, but their skilled players were better. They played a good game.”

Saranac Lake will now turn its sights on recapturing the Section VII, Class C crown it owned for five straight seasons but ceded last year in a 20-14 championship game loss to AuSable Valley. The Red Storm will take on Saranac Central Saturday for the title at AuSable Valley with the opening kickoff slated for noon. The Chiefs reached the final by upsetting the Patriots 12-6 in overtime in Friday’s semifinal game.

It may have been fitting that Viscardo broke the previous career receiving yards mark on his sixth and final catch of the game, which was a 31-yard gain during the third quarter that saw the senior leap to make another spectacular grab off a pass from Coats, who completed 10-of-17 attempts for 125 yards in the wind-driven rain.

“It was definitely a tough day for Will, but we still connected on a few passes,” Viscardo said. “Getting the record, it’s an honor, but I’m not really worried about that. I’m worried about Saranac next week and getting a W then. It’s good to get this out of the way so I don’t have to think about it anymore. It was definitely on my mind, ever since I realized I was close to it. It’s something that was in the back of my mind during games.”

Saturday also marked the fourth straight week that Ashton rambled for more than 100 yards. He knew going into the game that conditions would dictate keeping the ball on the ground.

“We knew it was going to rain from the beginning of the week,” Ashton said. “We put a lot of run plays in this week so we weren’t just throwing the ball around, and when it came down to it, we did really well pulling our guards today. Our line had a good day.”

Potsdam will now play for the Section X, Class B title when it takes on Franklin Academy on Friday. Saranac Lake heads into Saturday’s contest as the top seed and defeated Saranac 23-12 in the second game of the regular season. The Chiefs ended a 16-game losing slide with their win on Friday.

“I was a little surprised that Saranac took down AuSable, but they came out with a heavy run formation, they came out with a lot of fire, and they kept the ball away from a potent AuSable offense,” Bennett said. “What a big game to get their first win of the year. That was incredible. We have our hands full. It’s playoff time, I’m glad we’re moving the ball well, glad that can figure some things out on defense, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”

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Saranac Lake 32, Potsdam 12

[TABULATED_DATA]

Scoring

First Quarter

P – Brandon Buffham 2 run (Run failed), 5:44

SL – Meyer 6 run (kick missed), 8:36

Second Quarter

SL – Ashton 4 run (pass failed), :37

P – Braydon Bush 1 run (run failed), 8:10

SL – Viscardo 17 pass from Coats (Run failed), 10:57

Third Quarter

SL – Ashton 5 run (run failed), 3:37

Fourth Quarter

SL – Ashton 2 run (Meyer pass from Coats), 7:55

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Individual Statistics

RUSHING

SL – Ashton 27-148 3TDs, Swanson 1-2, Meyer 2-13 TD, Coats 6-26, Callahan 1-3. Totals: 37-192 4TDs.

P – Buffham 32-177 TD, Bush 11-41 TD, Kuno 4-18. Totals: 47-236.

PASSING

SL – Coats 10-17-0-125 TD.

RECEIVING

SL – Meyer 3-25, Viscardo 6-96 TD, Callahan 1-4.