In large measure, the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team’s 2012 odyssey got defined by one opponent it simply could not solve on three different occasions.
It was just the Lakers’ luck, as the no. 7 seed, to draw no. 2 seed Homer in Thursday night’s Class C quarterfinal at Butts Field, and from start to finish the Trojans would rule, especially on the defensive end, as it knocked out Skaneateles 9-3.
So finished a 9-9 campaign for the Lakers, well below what fans had come to expect from coach Ron Doctor’s squad through the decades. The fact that it had to put in so many new faces, especially on the offensive side, would come to doom Skaneateles.
This was especially true any time the Lakers had to face Homer. They first played April 20 at Butts Field, and Skaneateles, 4-2 at the time, took a 13-5 defeat, an omen of what lay ahead. The second meeting May 5 at Hyatt Stadium was much closer, but the Lakers continued to struggle on the offensive end and lost, 9-5.
That had to turn around in the third and most important encounter, set up after Skaneateles beat Jordan-Elbridge 16-7 in the Class C opening round on May 19 and Homer dismantled Blessed Virgin Mary 22-2.
Gaining possession through face-offs, Homer spent most of the first quarter in the Lakers’ end, and though the defense did what it could, the Trojans still converted enough to build a 3-0 lead.
Briefly, the Lakers stood up in the second period, blanking Homer. Yet all it could manage was a single scoring play, a lost opportunity that led to a 3-1 halftime deficit.
It never was so close again, as Homer steadily pulled away throughout the second half, outscoring the Lakers 3-1 each of the last two periods. Brandon Maxson led the Trojans with three goals, while Sean Ferrito and Conner Johnston each scored twice.
Just two players found the net for Skaneateles, as Connor O’Hara notched a pair of goals and Steve Bright earned the other. Lakers goalie Ryan Higman made 11 saves.
