It did not take long for the Jamesville-DeWitt boys lacrosse team to face elite competition as it goes for a third state Class B championship in four years – nor did it take long for Jordan Evans to establish himself as the front-runner for all Player of the Year honors that might get handed out at season’s end.
In two impressive road victories, Evans reached double figures in assists on one night, and then turned around to hit double figures in goals the next time around.
What made the second of these games particularly impressive was that it came Thursday night at Homer, who won the Section III Class C title a year ago. But the Trojans had no answer for Evans as he pushed the Rams to a 20-7 victory.
All that Homer could do in the first quarter was delay the onrush, holding J-D to a 2-0 advantage. But the second period proved different as the Rams won face-offs, constantly charged into the Trojans’ end and constantly converted, building a 10-1 halftime margin.
Eight more tallies followed in the third period, the J-D lead growing to 18-5, which allowed head coach Jamie Archer to use plentiful reserves in the fourth quarter.
Homer guessed that Evans would try to find teammates. Instead, the Syracuse University-bound senior constantly flew past defenders and fired shots into the net, not stopping until he had amassed 10 goals, to go with a single assist.
Of course, Evans wasn’t alone, as Mike Perkins and Mike Engstrom both had two goals and one assist. Lucas Johnson notched four assists, while Jeff Edwards, Ryan Durkin, Scott Firman, Justin Diamond, Griffin Feiner and Ryan McKee had one goal apiece.
Unable to get much practice time on clear fields the last few weeks due to all the lingering snow on the ground, J-D did not quite know what to expect when it visited Herkimer County Community College for last Tuesday night’s opener against Whitesboro.
What it got was, in its own way, unexpected – but pleasant, too, as J-D tore up the Warriors’ defense in the first quarter and, guided by Evans, prevailed by a 20-4 margin.
Nothing Whitesboro tried in the first quarter worked against Evans, who kept feeding teammates for goals or, on occasion, found the net himself.
It added up to a 12-2 margin, an average of one goal per minute. With that lead, the Rams could afford to ease up the rest of the way, allowing much of the roster to see playing time and resting for the tougher test against Homer.
Before leaving, though, Evans had put up 10 assists and four goals. Combined with what he did against Homer, that leaves Evans with 14 goals and 11 assists through one week, a good season’s work for many other players.
At Whitesboro, Many of Evans’ passes went to Griffin Feiner, who scored five times and added two assists. Durkin, who like Firman was fresh off leading CBA/J-D’s combined hockey team to an unlikely state Division II title earlier in the month, had a three-goal hat trick.
Diamond and Ryan Wright each found the net twice, while Engstrom, Perkins, McKee and Griffin Johnson got one goal apiece. Edwards, Lucas Johnson and Colin Stone added assists.
The 2-0 Red Rams would have its home opener Tuesday against East Syracuse-Minoa before a Friday-night visit to CBA, at which time Durkin, Firman and other CBA/J-D hockey players would be honored for their state title performance.
ESM, who went 11-7 a season ago and lost to J-D in the sectional Class B quarterfinal, rolled through its opener last Thursday against that same Whitesboro team, bashing the Warriors 17-4.
Unlike with J-D, the Spartans took a bit more time building its big margin, gaining a 7-1 edge by halftime and then doubling its output in the third quarter to secure the win.
Nolan Garris, with four goals and two assists, and Corey Haynes, with three goals and three assists, led the way.
Andrew Rosso chimed in with three goals and two assists as Joe Rosachi and Kollin Diedrickson each scored twice. Tom VanDeusen had a goal and two assists, while Dan MacDougall and Colton Webb notched single goals.
