Tyler Barnes dives into the end zone for a touchdown. Photo by Ben Sarle (Burlington Free Press)

Free Press: Redhawks Outlast Falcons

Burlington Free Press

Quarterback Konnor Fleming hooked up with end Taylor Gingras on a 49-yard scoring pass with 2:10 to play and ran in a two-point conversion to give Champlain Valley a 25-22 victory over North Country in high school football Saturday.

Fleming sealed the victory with an interception after the Falcons (2-1, 1-1 Division II) drove to the CVU 39 on their final posession. “I was running as fast as I could,” Gingras said of the winning score. The receiver got loose at about the 25 and Fleming found him in the right flat for his seventh catch — totaling 131 yards.

The lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter. The Redhawks (2-1, 2-0) took a 17-14 edge with 6:02 to go on Fleming’s 12-yard scoring toss to back Tyler Barnes and Tucker Kohlasch’s second point-after kick.

North Country came right back at 4:28 on a 47-yard scamper by junior halfback Nick Leclair, who finished with 236 yards on 25 carries and had scoring sorties of 70 yards (first quarter) and 13 yards (third quarter). The Falcons had a chance to seal the win but CVU made a key stop on a fourth-and-2 plunge at the North Country 49 to allow Fleming and Gingras to go to work.

The Falcons unleashed a punishing ground attack that chewed up 316 yards. Fleming had an efficient passing game, hitting 16 of 25 attempts for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He was intercepted once.

Kohlasch also booted a 24-yard field goal to give CVU a 10-6 halftime lead.