By the time the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team wrapped up its clash with neighbor and rival Marcellus last Thursday night at Hyatt Stadium, beating the Mustangs 15-10, it was halfway through its regular-season slate.
Playing eight games by April 13 does give the Lakers plenty of time to really work on those parts of the game that need repair in the month ahead, but given the success so far, the work is more of a tinkering variety than an overhaul.
The Marcellus game offered a good representation of how Skaneateles has played all season, mixing a potent, varied attack with a defense that makes most of the stops it needs to make.
The Lakers held the Mustangs to one goal in the first quarter, and even as Marcellus improved, Skaneateles matched and topped it, steadily working its way to an 11-6 lead through three quarters and then answering the visitors’ late charge.
John Danforth led the Lakers with four goals and one assist, with Pat Hackler and Nick Wamp each netting three-goal hat tricks as Reggie Buell and Patrick Major earned two goals apiece, Major tacking on two assists. Hackler and Jeremy Castle had one assist apiece.
Shane Rohe led the Mustangs, earning four goals and two assists, helped by Sam Rice, who scored twice. Single goals went to Gabe VanOrder, Liam Tierney, Emmitt Barry and Matt Connell as Barry added an assist.
Two days before confronting Marcellus, the Lakers jumped all over Chittenango in a 16-4 victory that was marked by Skaneateles blanking the Bears in the first two periods, already with an 8-0 lead by the time the first quarter was done.
It was 11-0 by halftime, and from there Skaneateles could relax, having seen Hackler complement his four goals with four assists and also seeing Buell find the net five times, to go with a single assist.
Helping them out, Castle and Danforth each sscored twice, Castle getting two assists and Danforth one assist. Wamp and Matt Goetzmann each had one goal and one assist as Will McGlynn earned the other goal and Ryan Gick got an assist.
Skaneateles got a week to rest after the Marcellus victory, resuming this Thursday at Jordan-Elbridge before hosting the reigning Section III Class A champions, Fayetteville-Manlius, on Saturday afternoon.
