Amid a tough early gauntlet, the Marcellus and Westhill boys lacrosse teams both would take on Jordan-Elbridge and earn tough victories, and find mixed results elsewhere.
Against a LaFayette side that has constantly tormented them in seasons past, the Mustangs did not flinch last Tuesday night, beating the Lancers 12-9.
This was a steady, strong effort on the Mustangs’ part, keyed by what it did in the first half, battling its way to a 6-3 lead. That margin was needed as LaFayette inched closer in an active third quarter, cutting the margin to 9-7, but Marcellus would hold on.
And the McNaney brothers had much to do with this. Tom McNaney produced three goals and three assists, while Luke McNaney also had a three-goal hat trick, adding a pair of assists.
Kevin Hutchings and Harrison Cox provided ample support, each scoring twice, while John Dunn and Ross Filtch had single goals. Jake Lilly also had a terrific performance in the net, turning back 15 of the Lancers’ 24 shots.
As this went on, Westhill was at home, getting a serious challenge from J-E, but taking over in the latter stages to beat the Eagles 9-7.
J-E put the Warriors in real trouble when it went on a 4-0 second-quarter spurt, erasing Westhill’s early lead and going up, 5-2, as they went to halftime. Just as quickly, though, the Eagles cooled off, giving the Warriors time to regroup – which it did, pulling even 5-5 as they reached the fourth quarter and outscoring the visitors 3-1 in the homestretch.
Ryan Suddaby, with three goals and one assist, and Luke Longo, with three goals and one assist, led Westhill’s rally, while Ryan Zimmerman had two goals and one assist. Peter Valentini had the other goal as Richie Easterly and Jack Centore picked up assists.
J-E, in defeat, saw Gale Thorpe score three times, with Aurie Schwarting gaining two goals and one assist. Zach Wagner added one goal and one assist, while Logan Schwarting also found the net and Matt Somes contributed an assist. Noland Michels, in the net, earned 12 saves, three more than Warriors counterpart Jack Sweeney.
Two nights later, J-E got a shot at Marcellus, and this game proved just as competitive, the game in doubt until a fourth-quarter surge helped the Mustangs edge the Eagles 10-8.
With a 4-1 lead through one period, Marcellus appeared in control, but it could not add to that total the rest of the half. J-E stayed patient and exchanged goals until the third quarter, when it made it own 4-1 run to tie things up at 7-7.
Yet the Mustangs had the final answer, winning the fourth quarter 3-1 to prevail as four different players – Hutchings, Filtch, Tom McNaney and Ben Powers – each scored twice. Tom and Mike McNaney (who had one goal) both got a pair of assists, with Morgan Reilly notching the other goal.
Again, Lilly made a difference in the net, recording 12 saves, while Michels made 18 stops to keep the Eagles close. Aurie Schwarting led J-E with three goals and one assist, just ahead of Thorpe (two goals) as Somes, Wagner and Logan Schwarting nabbed single goals. Nate Town and Sean Ryan earned assists.
J-E would get back in the win column on Saturday, topping Onondaga 12-5. A 5-0 tear through the first quarter proved crucial as the Tigers closed within 6-3 at halftime but the Eagles got away in the game’s latter stages.
Thorpe again proved tough to stop, scoring five times and adding three assists. Wagner supported him with three goals, with Aurie Schwarting adding a goal and two assists. Somes, Logan Schwarting and Sam Robles earned the other goals.
As that went on, Westhill appeared to have a victory Saturday against LaFayette in sight, but got victimized by a late Lancer comeback in a 13-10 defeat at Onondaga Community College’s turf field.
Breaking out in the second quarter, the Warriors took a 6-4 lead to the break, and were still in front until the fourth quarter, when LaFayette kept battling through Westhill’s defense in a closing 6-2 spurt.
Suddaby, with three goals and one assist, and Longo, with two goals and three assists, led the Warriors’ offense. Purcell added two goals as Centore and Zimmerman got single tallies and Easterly earned two assists. On the Lancers’ side, Eric Liddy (six goals, one assist) and Brian Phillips (four goals) led the way.
