ONONDAGA COUNTY – Despite all the struggles and worries over a once-mighty program put in a position of vulnerability, the West Genesee boys lacrosse team still found itself on the precipice of a Section III Class A championship.
All it required the Wildcats to do was to go to Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium Saturday and do what it could not three previous times, despite getting closer on each occasion – namely, defeat Baldwinsville.
But this game ended like the others did, with WG on the wrong end of a 14-7 decision against a Bees side that proved too deep and balanced, especially in the game’s decisive middle stages.
Though two of those earlier encounters were lopsided, the third one, on May 22, was a tight affair that the Wildcats lost 7-6, at least creating some sense of uncertainty about what would take place in the sectional final.
And briefly WG did take a 2-1 lead, only to have B’ville move in front for good with a surge late in the first quarter that hinted at something much bigger not far down the road.
Only up 5-4 late in the second period, the Bees charged to halftime with three straight goals, the first two by Ryan Hollenbeck, followed by a tally from Colin Socker that made the margin 8-4 going into the break.
Any doubts about the outcome were erased when, early in the third quarter, B’ville got goals from Mike Marsallo and Jacob Czyz seconds apart, followed by Socker and Trey Ordway finding the net.
Suddenly, a close game was now a 12-4 affair, and for the rest of the game the Bees comfortably held that margin as Marsallo, one of 14 seniors playing his last high-school game, led B’ville with three goals. Hollenbeck, Ordway and Socker were close behind, each of them scoring twice,
Just to reach the final, WG had to make a fourth-quarter comeback in last Thursday’s semifinal against no. 3 seed Cicero-North Syracuse, pulling out a 9-8 decision over the Northstars.
This was mostly a tribute to the Wildcats’ defense, which had played a solid first half but then had seen C-NS put in four goals during the third quarter to overcome a 6-4 halftime deficit.
Now trailing 8-7, WG got tough with its back line and never let C-NS score again. Thus, the Wildcats could be patient on the other end until it could put in the tying and go-ahead goals
This happened just after the girls lacrosse sectional Class A semifinal where West Genesee, also a no. 2 seed here, met a different fate against a different C-NS side, taking a 14-11 loss that ended its season.
Three close games between these teams in the regular season had twice gone in C-NS’s favor, but WG appeared to have the advantage of rest as the Northstars had to go through a tough first-round overtime win over Liverpool two days earlier.
But from the outsets, C-NS controlled matters against the Wildcats, steadily building a 7-3 advantage by halftime and, for much of the second half, never letting WG put together a run of its own.
Not until it trailed 13-6 with less than 10 minutes to play did the Wildcats finally start to pressure, cutting into the deficit led by Gabby Meager’s four goals and Olivia Blanding’s pair of tallies.
Yet C-NS held on as Fran Tortora, Molly Malchanoff and Brooke Malchanoff each finished with three goals, Tortora adding three assists.
Halen Saroney, Courtney Reynolds, Reis Pagan, Sophia Scialdone and Ally Major each had one goal for WG, who finished its season at 11-6 and then watched C-NS edge Baldwinsville in double overtime to claim its first sectional title since 1997.
