Beekmantown quarterback Nate Finley unloads a pass as Logan Brown (13), Isaiah Buckley (4) and Patrick Alberga (56) attempt to apply pressure during the second half of Saturday's game. Finley tossed five touchdown passes to lead the Eagles to a 42-21 victory over the Red Storm. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

SARANAC LAKE — In a game that wound up being a battle for the Champlain Valley Athletic Conference football championship, Beekmantown dealt Saranac Lake a 42-21 defeat Saturday at Wilson Raymond Field.

Both teams entered the matchup with 4-1 records, and the Eagles clinched after emerging from the game as the only squad in the league with a single loss. The Red Storm is now 4-2 and every other team in the league has at least three losses.

Saranac Lake played solid run defense in the game, but was unable to stop an Eagles’ passing attack led by junior quarterback Nate Finley, who threw for five touchdowns. Finley’s first two touchdown passes were strikes in the first quarter to Matthew Dion that allowed Beekmantown to jump out to a 14-0 lead.

Dion, a senior, was wide open in the Red Storm secondary on both scores. Finley found Dion along the Beekmantown sidelines for the game’s first touchdown on a 45-yard scoring play 5:26 into the game, and Brennen Lamora tacked on the extra-point kick for a 7-0 Eagles’ edge. Dion then blew past three Saranac Lake defensive backs on Beekmantown’s next possession to haul in a 30-yard touchdown catch from Finley.

Saranac Lake took advantage of great field position for its first touchdown, starting with the ball at the Eagles’ 32-yard line with less than two minutes left in the first half. Junior quarterback Rhett Darrah completed a 25-yard pass to Kenny Dashnaw on first down, and on the next play, Logan Brown rambled into the end zone from the 7-yard line for the score.

The Red Storm trailed 14-7 at halftime, and opened the third quarter with the ball. Any momentum Saranac Lake may have carried into intermission after its late score fizzled quickly. On the second play of the Red Storm’s opening possession in the second half, Darrah was intercepted and Beekmantown was in business at Saranac Lake’s 27-yard line. Five plays later, the Eagles scored on Finley’s 9-yard toss to Connor McGinnis.

Leading 20-7, the Eagles added another two points when Saranac Lake backup quarterback Carter Sturgeon was sacked in the end zone by Jonah Phaneuf. It looked like the rout was on when Beekmantown returned the free kick to Saranac Lake’s 14, and on the next play, Kaden Myers burst into the end zone and Lamora notched another conversion kick to put the Eagles on top 29-7 with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Saranac Lake, however, began to battle back. The Red Storm scored two unanswered touchdowns, starting on a 3-yard run by Brown that capped off a seven-play, 63-yard march. Saranac Lake then recovered the onside kick and drove again, with Darrah tossing a 23-yard touchdown pass to David Warner to make it a 29-21 contest and leave the Red Storm within striking distance.

But Beekmantown took control down the stretch, as Finley threw two more touchdowns passes, a 45-yarder to McGinnis and a 17-yard toss to Carson Lapier with 46 seconds remaining in the game.

The Eagles also captured the CVAC regular-season title last fall and next play at Moriah.

Saranac Lake has a lot riding on its final regular-season match Friday in Peru. With a win, the Red Storm can lock up second place in the CVAC, but more importantly, clinch a bye for the first round of the Section VII, Class C playoffs and force Saranac Central and AuSable Valley to battle it out in the semifinal game.

The opening kickoff at the Apple Bowl is slated for 7:30 p.m.