Based on the number of teams involved, and where they are coming from, Baldwinsville’s annual Star-Spangled Girls Lacrosse Tournament is as popular as it has ever been.
Now it’s just a matter of having the weather behave for three consecutive days.
Again, rain and thunderstorms caused some alterations in the schedule, this time hitting in the middle of round-robin play.
Prior to all that, all had gone well. More than 1,500 lacrosse players came with 88 different teams, from across the state as well as locales like New Hampshire, Maryland, Illinois and Connecticut.
They all descended upon the Baldwinsville school complex and began play on Friday in five different divisions — High School (incoming juniors and seniors), Futures (incoming freshmen and sophomores), Shooting Stars (seventh and eighth graders), Pixie Sticks (younger players) and Open (college-age players).
The activity went beyond games. College coaches were on the recruiting trail. Apparel companies sold everything from T-shirts to bags. There was even an on-sight vendor who could embroider an apparel item while they waited.
With 30 High School entries and 24 Futures entries, each team was guaranteed at least five round-robin games, spread out over Friday and Saturday, with elimination tournaments and consolation games in all the divisions set for Sunday.
Or at least that was the plan.
Around 11 a.m. on Saturday, the first weather moved in, causing the horns to blow, games to be halted, and teams and parents scrambling to their tents or their cars. Conditions got worse, and the tournament was halted for the day a few hours later.
It was decided that play would resume at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, so that everyone could finish the round-robin portion. Since the elimination tournament could not be done, division leaders would meet in the final rounds.
Two local teams would take titles, both from the Star-Riders club. In the Open division, Star-Rider beat Albany Elite 10-6, while a local duel in the Futures final saw Star-Riders beat CNY Elite 5-2. CNY Elite needed overtime to beat Granite State (New Hampshire) in the semifinals.
Up in the High School division, Lady Roc, from Rochester, beat the Star-Riders 10-6 in the championship game. Long Island’s Yellow Jackets took the Pixie Sticks title, while Relentless Hustle (Rochester) ripped Granite State 11-2 in the Shooting Stars final.
