Saranac quarterback Corbin Duffield rolled right, reset, and found Antoney Bingham at the front of the end zone for a touchdown that cut what had been a 21-point halftime margin down to 21–14. Suddenly, the Spartans had life, the home sideline roared, and the Eagles seemed to be wobbling.

On the ensuing possession, Beekmantown faced a 4th-and-1 on its own side of midfield. Pick it up, and the Eagles could breathe again. Fail, and Saranac had all the momentum. They muscled out the yard they needed, and on the very next snap quarterback Hunter Porter ripped off a 41-yard run to the Spartan 4-yard line. One play later, Shamus Bibeau punched in his third touchdown of the game and George Ciolac’s extra point made it 28–14 — a sequence that seemed to put the game away in Beekmantown’s 28–20 victory Saturday at Picketts Corners Field.

“We came out (for the second half) flat. It’s the second week in a row,” head coach Joe Fish admitted. “I was disappointed in that, but I give credit to Saranac for making the adjustments they made. When we needed a drive, though, we put one together after that big fourth-and-one. Hunter’s play really put the game away.”

Beekmantown (2–0) built its cushion behind a bruising ground game. Quarterback Hunter Porter put the Eagles on the board with a 1-yard sneak late in the first quarter.

Late in the second, Shamus Bibeau broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown, and Porter added the two-point conversion for a 15–0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Saranac fumbled and the Eagles quickly cashed in. Bibeau capped the short 22-yard drive with a 4-yard score to make it 21–0 at halftime.

Bibeau finished with 20 carries for 116 yards and three scores, while Porter added 55 yards on six carries. He also completed 3-of-8 passes for 73 yards.

Saranac (0–2) refused to fold. The Spartans came out of halftime and tightened defensively while the offense leaned on the legs of Zander Daniels (143 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries) and the arm of junior quarterback Corbin Duffield.
With 1:41 left in the third, Daniels capped a 6-play, 50-yard march with a 4-yard run to finally get the Spartans on the board. Then Duffield found Antoney Bingham with the strike that cut the deficit to 21–14 and sent a surge through the Saranac sideline.

Beekmantown answered with Porter’s scamper and Bibeau’s third of the afternoon, restoring a two-score cushion and making it look as if the game was put to bed.

Still, Saranac wasn’t done. With no timeouts and the clock working against them, the Spartans drove the length of the field and, with 1:48 remaining, Duffield lofted a ball into the back corner of the end zone, where senior Branigan Boulds out-leapt a defender for a highlight-reel touchdown. The kick failed, leaving it 28–20.

The Spartans nearly had one last chance after a failed onside kick when Beekmantown fumbled on its first play. A scramble followed, but Porter came up with the loose ball. One more first down allowed the Eagles to kneel it out.

“Sometimes there’s just not enough time to come back,” head coach Dylan Everleth said. “But I’m super happy with the way we ended it. We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half — gave up third-and-longs, fumbled a kickoff return — and that put us in a hole. In the second half we eliminated those mistakes, moved the ball, and our kids never hung their heads.”

For Porter, the decisive run was less about flash than trust.

“Coach puts a lot of trust in me to run the ball — in all of our backs,” Porter said. “He gives us carries every game, and when my number’s called, I just try to make a play.”

He also admitted the second-half lull was a wake-up call.

“You come out of halftime up 21, and maybe you relax a little,” Porter said. “Things don’t always go how you want, but if you keep your head down and keep playing, it’ll eventually work.”

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What’s Next
Beekmantown visits Ticonderoga Friday night, while Saranac looks to regroup before chasing its first win on Saturday night at Linney Field in Moriah.