To this point, the Christian Brothers Academy boys lacrosse team has met all the challenges – and might just be getting better.
Further proof of this was offered Thursday afternoon at Alibrandi Stadium, where senior Nick Papayanakos helped the state Class C no. 10-ranked Brothers dismantle no. 3-ranked LaFayette by a score of 20-9.
The main reason why LaFayette had garnered the no. 3 spot in the state poll was because its defense had done a terrific job shutting down Skaneateles in an 8-5 victory on April 4.
But the Brothers feature a far more experienced attack, whose sharpness was evident right away as it raced to a 3-0 lead in the game’s first four minutes, 14 seconds, and it was Papayanakos nabbing the first goal before Alex Brunner and Cody Radziewicz converted.
LaFayette did tie it, 3-3, and the two sides would trade goals before, in the last second of the period, Papayanakos fed Shane Murphy for a goal that gave CBA a 5-4 lead, one it would never relinquish.
The real breakaway, though, didn’t take place until late in the second quarter. It was 7-5 when Joe Dalfo fed the Cornell-bound Radziewicz for his second goal, but that was just the warm-up.
Papayanakos took over from there. Already with two goals, the senior hit twice more in a span of 1:40 to double CBA’s margin to 9-5, and capped off the half by taking Radziewicz’s feed and firing it into the LaFayette net 2.5 seconds before the horn.
Suddenly, it was 10-5, Papayanakos had recorded five goals, and the Lancers would never get closer than four goals again. Radziewicz finished with six goals and five assists as Dalfo found the net twice and added four assists, and Papayanakos adding to his career mark with his sixth and seventh goals down the stretch.
It was all part of a full and eventful afternoon on the CBA campus that included varsity boys and girls lacrosse, plus baseball and softball games against local rival Jamesville-DeWitt.
Two days removed from its narrow defeat to Class A power West Genesee, the CBA girls lacrosse team, no. 1 in the state Class C rankings, recovered with a 15-7 victory over Marcellus.
The Mustangs hung close for most of the first half, only trailing 4-2 before a trademark surge from the Brothers. In order, Kara Dell’uomo, Taylor Poplawski, Marisa Romeo, Caroline Webster and Sophie Racciatti all scored in a span of less than two minutes, making it 9-2.
Marcellus never got closer again as Racciatti led CBA with five goals and two assists. Webster was close behind, with four goals and one assist, as Romeo got two goals and three assists. Poplawski had two goals and two assists. Meg Hannan also scored as Michelle Wiese added an assist.
Making it three-for-three, the CBA baseball team rode a big first inning all the way to a 9-4 victory over Jamesville-DeWitt to improve to 2-0 in the OHSL Freedom division (2-1 overall).
Amid a five-run first inning where it chased Red Rams starter Matt Yonta, Andrew Gacek supplied the big blow, a three-run double, and Bryce Wiley also doubled home a run. The Brothers had an 8-0 edge through four innings, more than enough, despite J-D’s late push.
Camillo Spinosa had three hits and Pat Pierret added two hits, giving support to Jack Glover, who pitched four innings to earn the win and got relief support from Brad McAuliffe and Tim Pierret. For J-D, Brad Davis and Jimmy Sinopoil both had solid relief stints as John Werbowky managed two hits and two RBIs. Dan Canfield and Chris McGee also drove in runs.
Only in softball did CBA taste defeat on this day – but even there, it was a tough fight for J-D, who improved to 4-0 on the season by holding off the Brothers 7-4.
Mary Young, with a first-inning double and a third-inning two-run home run, helped the Red Rams build a 6-0 lead by the fifth inning. But CBA countered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases before sophomore pitcher Kerri Keeler could escape the jam.
Young’s fourth hit, a single, in the top of the sixth helped J-D to an insurance run, and Keeler blanked the Brothers over the last two innings to close it out, finishing with eight strikeouts. Jordan Sheridan took the loss.
