EAST MONTPELIER — The Otter Valley Union High School football team on Friday knocked off a challenger for the Division III regular season title and top playoff seed by defeating previously unbeaten host U-32, 55-14.
OV improved to 6-0 with two more games left before the playoffs, while the Raiders dropped to 4-1. The Otters will visit D-II Mount Abraham (2-4) this Saturday and host D-III rival Mill River (4-1) under temporary lights at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17.
Against the Raiders this past Friday, OV quarterback Carson Leary ran for 268 yards and six touchdowns, all in the first three quarters, to help lead the way.
Leary found the end zone from four yards out on Otter Valley’s first drive and added scoring runs of 1, 3, 10, 51 and 75 yards.
Also providing touchdowns for OV were Tyson Cram on a 75-yard kick return and Brent Nickerson on a 5-yard run.
U-32 scored twice in the first half. Colby Brochu, who rushed for 119 yards, picked up one touchdown, and quarterback Matt Greene, who threw for 113 yards, tossed a 40-yard TD pass to Devin Hanson. 
Brochu’s score tied the game a 7-7, but Cram returned the kickoff to give OV the lead for good. Leary scored his second touchdown on the next OV possession. The Raiders made it 21-14, only to see Leary’s 75-yard romp push OV’s lead to 28-14. OV led at the half, 35-14, on another Leary run, and added 20 points in the second half.