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November 1, 2009

Battle for the Class B title

Ranked rivals Beekmantown, Peru battle for section title

By RYAN HAYNER



PLATTSBURGH — They know all year long who stands in their way to the state playoffs.

The Beekmantown Eagles and the Peru Indians are the only teams in Section VII/X's Class B, so the championship matchup is known before the first glow of Friday night lights.

Now, after eight weeks of regular-season play and an added wait as the game was moved to Monday because of a high-rate of student illness, the two state-ranked teams will meet for the second time this year.

The winner of tonight's 7 p.m. gridiron battle at Plattsburgh High School will advance to the Class B quarterfinal. The losing team will go back to the drawing board, preparing for next year's inevitable showdown, barring a class change.

And if recent history can tell us anything, it's that this game will be memorable. Last season, Beekmantown scored a go-ahead touchdown with ten seconds left. In the 2007-08 season, Peru eked out a win in overtime.

"We've had some real battles in the recent past," Peru coach Larry Ewald said.

Eagles coach Mark Haley is quick to remind not just of recent thrillers, but of a rivalry that has spanned decades.

"I've been with this program for a little over 30 years and I remember '79 to mid-80s, games that went Beekmantown's way and then Peru's way," Haley said.

"But the last three years really have all gone down to the wire. That's why these games stay on your mind."

This season's regular season meeting was a lopsided affair in favor of Beekmantown. The Eagles dispatched the Indians, 40-13, to obtain the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and home field advantage.

Yet, for the second straight season, the top-seeded Eagles won't be able to play at home. Bleacher problems last year was the culprit — this year, the field's drainage, or lack of, has placed the game in a neutral setting.

"It's always nice to walk out your back door and play on your home field, I'm sure Beekmantown would prefer to do that, but I think knowing the character of their players, I don't think they're too worried about where they are playing," Ewald said.

Both coaches agreed that the title game has been in the back of their minds throughout the season.

"We know it's going to come down to week nine and we're going to play Beekmantown for the championship, so we keep an eye on them throughout the year," Ewald said.

"Once we faced Peru the first time it's like I could sleep the day before that first game, and I couldn't sleep the night after the first game...just thinking about the next time because you wipe out the scores, you start over," Haley said.

The Indians have mostly recovered from a bout of sickness that forced the game's postponement because half the team was unable to practice earlier in the week.

Bobby Wilkins, a starter at inside linebacker and on special teams, is the only Indian unable to play as he battles swine flu. Will Price will man the linebacker spot in his absence.

Both teams boast balance and talent.

Behind quarterback Robert Duquette, the No. 15-ranked Indians led the Northern Football Conference in pass completions and yards. Duquette led the conference with 1,298 passing yards.

Connor Keleher led the league with 657 receiving yards, while Ben Whitney's 465 yards were good for third.

David Ragone rushed for 734 yards and eight scores on the ground, good for fifth. Peru scored 17 rushing touchdowns.

"They're going to score, they're going to move the ball," Haley said. "We just have to make it a little more difficult for them to do that and we have to match them with our offense."

No. 8-ranked Beekmantown's offensive attack features two strong runners in Patrick Manor and Matt Durocher. Manor finished second in the conference with 814 yards at an average of 10.3 a clip. Durocher added ten rushing touchdowns and 434 yards.

At quarterback, sophomore Carter Frechette has been a play-maker with his arm and his legs. Deadly on play-action and on option plays, Frechette tossed 12 touchdowns to just one interception, and added four rushing scores.

Ewald tabbed tight end Evan Bull as a player who doesn't get a lot of accolades but makes a big impact for the Eagles. Bull caught a team-high five touchdowns.

Defensively, the Eagles allowed nine points per game, while Peru gave up 16.7.

"You just have to keep them guessing," Haley said. " It's like a chess match out there."

E-mail Ryan Hayner at: rhayner@pressrepublican.com

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