Weather continued to interrupt the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team’s hopes of playing on its actual home turf – but did nothing to affect the team’s high level of performance.
The Lakers, still unbeaten and no. 2 in the latest state Class C rankings, had to move a second home game down the road to Chittenango High School, this time pushing back its meeting with Jordan-Elbridge.
And when Cazenovia faced the Eagles last Wednesday afternoon, it was tight early, but by the second quarter it was all Lakers as it pulled away to smash the Eagles 18-3.
Led by Gale Thorpe’s pair of goals, J-E pulled into a 2-2 deadlock with Cazenovia in the first quarter. All that did, though, was make the Lakers step up its play, and it proceeded to outscore the Eagles 8-1 during the second period.
As if that wasn’t enough, Cazenovia blanked J-E in the second half and continued to add to its margin, led by Connor Cannizzaro, who had five goals and two assists, and Ryan Cook, who managed three goals and three assists.
Jake Falge also had a three-goal hat trick as Kyle Brown and P.J. Brown both got two goals and one assist. Conor Race also scored twice, Brad Nardella adding a goal and two assists as Henry Mann also got credit for an assist.
The delay in the J-E game meant that Cazenovia had to play Manlius-Pebble Hill less than 24 hours later, but as with the Eagles, the Lakers would have an easy time of it, earning a 20-1 victory over the Trojans.
This time, though, Cazenovia didn’t wait until the second quarter to seize control, roaring to an 8-0 lead in the opening period and expanding that margin to 14-1 at the break.
Nardella took a leading role, with four goals and one assist, while Kyle Brown and Alex Sullivan each got three goals, Sullivan adding an assist as part of an attack where 12 different players would find the net by game’s end.
Cook had two goals and two assists, with Falge getting two goals and one assist. Cannizzaro, Race, Mann, P.J. Brown, A.J. Davis, Keaton Ackerman, Eli Mitchell and Kevin Porter notched one goal apiece. Mann and Ackerman contributed assists.
In Saturday’s non-league game against Watertown, the Lakers finally got to play at the Sean Goggin Sports Complex, and perhaps fueled by that home-field advantage, Cazenovia shook off the mud, high winds and cold temperatures to flatten the Cyclones 19-4.
It was Cook getting the Lakers started, notching his team’s first three goals and adding a fourth before the opening period was done, Cazenovia streaking to an 8-2 lead.
Watertown couldn’t contain the Lakers in the second quarter, either, the margin growing to 15-3, and it was 19-3 before the starters rested in the fourth quarter.
Putting together a career-best performance, Cook finished with seven goals and four assists, getting ample help from Race, who scored four times, and Cannizzaro, who managed three goals and three assists. Kyle Brown had two goals and one assist, with P.J. Brown getting a goal and assist as Mann had one goal and two assists and Sullivan also found the net.
Halfway through the regular season, Cazenovia remains unblemished at 8-0, but it figures to get a challenge Tuesday at Tully before LaFayette shows up next Friday night, looking to avenge a 9-7 defeat to the Lakers in a game played April 4 at the Cazenovia College turf field.
