Earning its best win of the season so far, the East Syracuse-Minoa boys lacrosse team knocked off state-ranked Homer 14-12 in front of the home crowd on a chilly Tuesday night.
Homer, with a 6-2 record, held the no. 13 spot in the state Class C rankings. But the Spartans jumped all over the Trojans in the first half, playing close to perfection on both ends as it bolted out to a 10-3 halftime lead.
Now ESM had to hold on, especially in the fourth quarter. Trailing 12-5, Homer roared to life behind Carl Zimmerman (four goals) and Connor Ferrito (three goals), inching close — but the Spartans produced enough to finish in front.
Mike Cummings had a role in half of the Spartans’ scoring plays, as he finished with five goals and two assists. James Landry and Garrett Smith each scored three times, with Quadear Mike adding two goals and two assists. Jeff Koch also scored as Sean Dooling added an assist.
In girls lacrosse, ESM lost a close battle of Spartan teams to New Hartford 11-10 in overtime, despite making a ferocious second-half comeback.
Led by Mary Kate Edmunds and Rachel Zalewski (three goals each), New Hartford stormed to a 9-4 lead. ESM made it up in the second half, only to fall behind again in the OT periods and not recover.
Marlee Vlassis, with three goals and one assist, led the way as Nikki Devona found the net twice. Alex McEachron had a goal and two assists as Alayna Davis, Alyssa Anderalli, Rachel Toole and Liz Stratton also scored. Sarah Steinberg added an assist as Katie Cook made 10 saves, one less than New Hartford counterpart Susan Allen.
