A trio of local high school boys lacrosse teams hit the field for the first time in the 2012 season as March wound to a close.
None carried the burden of Fayetteville-Manlius, a perennial boys Class A contender that, despite winning records every spring, still has not won a Section III title in nearly two decades and was denied again in 2011, falling to Liverpool in a lopsided sectional semifinal after getting there with a 16-1 mark.
Able to practice and play on an all-weather artificial turf field installed last summer thanks to private funds raised by community members, F-M opened its season on that new turf Saturday by piling up goals against Watertown IHC in a 23-4 romp.
Decades spent playing home games on slow grass surfaces are gone, and the Hornets wasted little time displaying its skills on the smoother, cleaner turf, grabbing a 7-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and expanding the margin to 15-2 by halftime.
Kevin Lux and Clay Arnold led with four goals apiece, with Lux adding a pair of assists. Troy Arnold, Dan Cahill, Ryan DaRin and David Hajduk each scored twice. Returning veterans Ryan Simmons (one goal, three assists) and Jimmy Krizman (one goal, two assists) took smaller roles as Derek Andrake, Joe DeSantis, Sawyer Dew, Erik Keller and Tommy Loseco also found the net.
The night before, Christian Brothers Academy had an impressive opening effort at Alibrandi Stadium, turning back Cicero-North Syracuse 11-6.
Looking to improve on an 11-7 mark from 2011 (it lost to Cortland in the Class C quarterfinals), the Brothers, who have a large returning cast, were facing a C-NS side off to a 2-0 start.
That didn’t rattle CBA one bit, though. It battled to a 4-3 lead in the early going and then turned to its defense, who proceeded to blank the Northstars throughout the entire second and third periods. Goalie Dom Facciponte, who had 14 saves, aided in that effort.
CBA both started and finished strong on the offensive end. Joe Dalfo, with four goals and one assist, and Cody Radziewicz, with three goals and one assist, led the way as Jack Zerillo, Braeden Gait, Joey Pascarella and Alex Brunner earned single goals. Nick Papayanakos had two assists and Shane Murphy picked up one assist.
East Syracuse-Minoa’s boys team, 8-9 a season ago (it lost to Carthage in the Section III Class B semifinals), started its season at Fulton and had to hang on to beat the Red Raiders 10-9.
The Spartans dominated the first half, steadily accumulating a 7-2 lead. But Fulton took over in the third quarter, cutting the margin to 8-6, and it took a couple of late goals for ESM to hold on.
Sean Dooling, with three goals, set ESM’s pace. Bobby Campese scored twice, while Nick Capriotti had a goal and two assists. Connor Haynes, Dan MacDougall, Nolan Garris, Brian Kiehl and Corey Haynes also found the net. In goal, Alec Miller picked up 12 saves.
Right after that, on Saturday ESM had a similar game against New Hartford, winning 10-8. Dominating the first quarter, ESM roared to a 5-0 lead, but spent the rest of the afternoon seeing that margin decrease.
ESM’s depth and balance would still prove the difference, as Kiehl, Campese and Andrew Russo each scored twice. MacDougall managed a goal and two assists as Dan Lewis, Emile Frigon and Dean Squires earned single tallies.
Only Jamesville-DeWitt did not play before April. But the two-time defending state Class B champion Red Rams would open Monday, at Fulton, the first of seven consecutive road games to open the season that includes trips to Chittenango on Thursday and Section II power Niskayuna on Saturday.
CBA, meanwhile, draws Marcellus and Baldwinsville, and ESM takes on Whitesboro, all leading to Saturday, when F-M clashes with 10-time defending Class A champion West Genesee at Camillus in the first of two regular-season showdowns between the long-time rivals.
