Early in the week of the April school break, Syracuse city high school lacrosse teams had head-to-head meetings on the girls and boys fronts. In both cases, the visiting team would prevail.
The combined Henninger/Nottingham girls team went to Corcoran and beat the Cougars 13-10 last Monday afternoon, but the boys Cougars prevailed over Henninger 11-3 a day later at Sunnycrest Field.
Henninger/Nottingham’s girls side badly needed this win, having started 1-6 (0-3 in league play) while facing a full share of strong opponents in the local Class A ranks. Corcoran, at 2-1, hoped to add to that trouble.
However, Henninger/Nottingham seized a 6-4 lead by halftime, then answered every Cougar charge in the second half, mainly through a two-pronged attack.
Brianne Bonner put together five goals – and when she wasn’t converting, Nori Cunningham was finding the net four times. Emily Daniels, Chantelle Sherman and Nicole Fiorini added single goals as Daniels picked up her team’s lone assist.
As for Corcoran, no single player came close to what Bonner or Cunningham did, though Erin Kenney, Emma Schmitt, Becca Martinez and Lindsey White each had two goals in a more balanced Cougar attack. Kelsey McNaboe and Alexis Wilensy got single tallies. Courtney Cosentino and Harley Bucktooth added assists.
Corcoran would fare better on Tuesday on the boys side – and it was needed. Following a 4-0 start (including an overtime win over West Genesee on April 6), the Cougars had lost back-to-back games to Baldwinsville and Auburn before its trip to Henninger.
Determined to turn things around, Corcoran endured a first half where the Black Knights slowed things down and kept things close, only trailing 2-1 at the break.
But the Cougars took over in the third period with five unanswered goals, a surge Henninger could not answer. Dylan Smith led with three goals and one assist as Cree Cathers and Edmund Cathers each got two goals and one assist.
Ethan Thompson produced a goal and two assists as James Cathers, hounded by Heninger’s defenders, took a supporting role and also got two assists. Brandon Miller, Dillon Brown and Kevin Sexton had one goal apiece.
On Henninger’s side, Colin Montgomery and Andrew Jackson each finished with one goal and one assist as John George landed the other goal. Pat Boyle had 14 saves, five more than Corcoran counterpart Jon Boehm.