Indians win Class B title

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Related Photos

Beekmantown's Carter Frechette (9) is tackled by Peru's Zane Bazzano during the Section VII/X Class B football final Saturday at the Apple Bowl. The Indians won, 21-14. A slideshow of photos is available at pressrepublican.com. Bonus photos will be available midday Monday at pressrepublicanphotos.com. P-R Photo / Rob Fountain
Peru's Zane Bazzano (18) sheds a tackle during the Section VII/X Class B football final against Beekmantown Saturday at the Apple Bowl. The Indians won, 21-14. A slideshow of photos is available at pressrepublican.com. Bonus photos will be available midday Monday at pressrepublicanphotos.com. P-R Photo / Rob Fountain
A referee signals touchdown after Peru's Tyler Murphy scored on a 6-yard pass from Taylor Rock in the second quarter of the Section VII/X Class B football final against Beekmantown Saturday at the Apple Bowl. The Indians won, 21-14. A slideshow of photos is available at pressrepublican.com. Bonus photos will be available midday Monday at pressrepublicanphotos.com. P-R Photo / Rob Fountain

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November 6, 2011

Peru bests Beekmantown for Sec. VII/X Class B title, 10-0 season record

COURTNEY LEWIS Press-Republican The Press Republican Sun Nov 06, 2011, 06:27 AM EST

PERU — Peru doesn't have the gaudiest stats, and it didn't have any of the accolades coming into this season.

But the Indians have the Section VII/X Class B championship.

Peru's defense controlled the game for three quarters Saturday, and the Indians survived an eventful fourth to defeat Beekmantown, 21-14.

Peru (10-0) moves on to face Schalmont next Saturday in an NYSPHSAA regional game at AuSable Valley. The top-seeded Indians claimed their first sectional crown since 2007 and their first under coach Nick Damiani. They continued an impressive turnaround following a 2010 season that ended at 3-6 without a playoff appearance.

"Outside of the 35 kids on the team at the beginning of the year, it's safe to say that very few people thought we could do this," quarterback Taylor Rock said. "I mean, let alone win a section championship but go 10-0 in the process, no one would have guessed. We were supposed to get crushed by the ... Saranac Lake squad. Saranac was supposed to take us out. Beekmantown.

"But we busted through that adversity when we were called upon."

For much of the game, the second-seeded Eagles (7-3) struggled to gain ground. Carter Frechette's first six passes fell incomplete, and he was 1-for-9 for 2 yards at halftime. The Indians, who are ranked seventh in the state, also contained him on the ground.

"Defensively, when we ran what we were going to run against Beekmantown, they didn't move the ball," Damiani said. "They didn't do a whole bunch."

But Peru switched to a Cover-2 toward the end, and the Eagles sliced through it at times. In the middle of the fourth, they started a drive on Peru's 27-yard line after a poor punt and ended it with Frechette's 2-yard scoring run to make it 21-7. After stopping the Indians, the 16th-ranked Eagles missed a great chance to pull closer.

Luke Weaver caught a pass in the middle of the field and made a strong run downfield. But when the ball reached the end zone, it was in the Indians' hands, giving them possession at the 20.

Beekmantown coach Jamie Lozier called the play a "bad break," adding that the officials ruled the ball didn't cross the goal line, and when Weaver dropped it thinking he had scored, Peru pounced on it.

Weaver then picked off a Rock throw and eventually grabbed a 17-yard touchdown pass. But by then there were just 52.5 seconds left.

"The first half, we didn't do anything," Lozier said. "We didn't hold our blocks. We didn't tackle. We dropped footballs all over the place.

"Peru is a very good football team, but we did not bring our game today. And that's frustrating."

Frechette ended up 11-for-26 with a touchdown and 212 yards and became the new Section VII career passing leader with 3,996 yards. He eclipsed the old mark of 3,990 held by Matt Bezio of Peru.

Weaver caught eight passes for 167 yards.

Peru started the game with a 61-yard drive capped by Jeff Kurz's 8-yard touchdown run. Its offense stalled until the end of the first half, when Tyler Murphy snagged a 6-yard scoring pass with 11 seconds left.

Alex Cederstrom ran for a game-high 105 yards on 14 carries, and Kurz totaled 63 yards.

Rock completed 5-of-8 passes for 37 yards. The senior is less heralded than some of the other area quarterbacks, but he has been a team leader.

"I don't like statistical comparisons, but I do definitely take pride in how I feel I lead this team," Rock said. "Captain is definitely more favored than the quarterback label for me ...

"I try to feed these guys energy, and they respond. This is a great group of kids."

—

Peru 21, Beekmantown 14

Beekmantown 0 0 0 14 — 14

Peru 7 7 7 0 — 21

First quarter

P- Kurz 8 run (Boyer kick), 2:39.

Second quarter

P- Murphy 6 pass from Rock (Boyer kick), 11:49.

Third quarter

P- Rock 4 run (Boyer kick), 5:47.

Fourth quarter