Soccer teams from Manlius-Pebble Hill and Bishop Grimes tried to navigate through the opening week of the Section III Class C playoffs, and three of them were still alive entering the semifinal rounds.
Defending its sectional crown, the MPH boys team, with the no. 5 seed, opened against no. 12 seed Mohawk and put together a 3-0 shutout of the Mohicans.
Despite constant pressure, the Trojans could rarely solve Mohawk goalie Pat Mills, who made 24 saves. Only in the second half did MPH, up 1-0, get away. Jimmy Gavigan, Richie Medina and Tim Glass had the goals, with Waytt Scott and Gerrit Church adding assists.
This led to a Class C quarterfinal and a long trip up north to play no. 4 seed Thousand Islands. And despite an early deficit, the Trojans roared back and knocked out the Vikings 3-1.
Perhaps the long bus trip had an effect on MPH, for it could not put its offense together in the first half, watching as Thousand Islands inched into a 1-0 lead on Scott McKain’s goal.
Once MPH tied it in the second half, though, everything turned around, and the Trojans roared out in front and stayed there behind goals from Richie Medina, Wyatt Scott and Solomon Ochieng. Jimmy Gavigan and Gerrit Church added assists.
Bishop Grimes, with the no. 6 seed, had to rally past no. 11 seed Sauquoit Valley 2-1 in overtime in the opening round at Nottingham High School.
Tyler Richards had put Sauquoit up 1-0 in the first half. But Grimes tied it as Christian Freeman took a feed from Nai Mayen and converted the tying goal.
Then, in the first sudden-victory OT period, Mayen worked around Sauquoit goalie Evan Owens and put home the game-winner. Mike Bespiaty shut out the Indians after the first half on his way to seven saves.
But the Cobras’ season ended in Friday’s Class C quarterfinal, when no. 3 seed Tully topped them 2-0, the third time the Black Knights had beaten Grimes this fall.
Here, Tully hurt Grimes early, getting goals from Tom Lamson and Jeremy Caron in the first half. From there, Bespiaty turned everything away, as he finished with 18 saves, but Grimes could get nothing past Black Knights keeper Ryan O’Mara (eight saves) as its season ended with a 9-5-2 mark.
On its way to a deep post-season run, the MPH girls soccer team toppled top seed West Canada Valley 2-0 in last Thursday’s C-2 quarterfinals.
Ignoring the chilly, wet conditions, the Trojans used a single goal in each half as enough production, Alexa Martinez-Martineau and Amalie Sonneborn scoring. Combined, Sammy Appleby and Katie Blanford had seven saves.
Before this, MPH had to get out of the first round – which it did against no. 9 seed Onondaga last Tuesday afternoon, shutting out the Tigers 2-0 to clinch a winning record for the season.
Having beaten OCS 1-0 back on Oct. 5, the Trojans had confidence for the rematch, and it seized another 1-0 lead in the first half. This time, though, it doubled that margin in the late stages and, with Sammy Appleby and Katie Blanford combining for 10 saves, again kept the Tigers off the board.
Martinez-Martineau had one goal and assisted on the other, by Rowan Johnson, while Jessica Gavigan assisted on Martinez-Martineau’s scoring play.
Bishop Grimes, with the no. 3 seed in Class C-2, met no. 6 seed Utica-Notre Dame in Wednesday’s quarterfinal round at Nottingham and edged past the Jugglers 2-1.
Like their male counterparts, the Cobras were down 1-0 at halftime, UND moving ahead on Alex Yorke’s goal. Yet Grimes tied it 1-1 when Kennedy Yearby scored, and Yearby went on to assist on Alex Guhin’s game-winner.
This moved the Cobras into the C-2 semifinal against no. 7 seed Morrisville-Eaton, to be played Monday at Chittenango, as MPH drew Fabius-Pompey in the other semifinal at CBA. The boys Trojans take on top seed Cooperstown in its Class C semifinal Wednesday at Sauquoit Valley.
