More than the normal neighborhood bragging rights was at stake when the Marcellus and Westhill boys lacrosse teams faced off last Tuesday night.
With the Warriors at 8-1 and holding the no. 6 spot in the state Class C rankings, and the Mustangs 6-2 and holding the no. 10 spot in that same state poll, the winner would gain a lot of momentum toward the regular-season homestretch.
And it was Marcellus who would prevail in that struggle, feeding off momentum gained the week before and gradually taking over in the second half to beat Westhill 11-7.
The Mustangs didn’t fret much when the Warriors seized a 2-1 first-quarter lead. And as the tempo picked up in the second quarter, so did the Mustangs, who inched in front, 4-3, by halftime.
Marcellus continued to push things throughout the second half, finding holes in the Warriors’ defenses and consistently exploiting them. Also, goalie Jake Lilly kept making big stops, keeping his concentration amid the win and rain to finish with 21 saves.
Ross Filtch led the way, getting four goals, with Mike McNaney adding two goals and two assists to match that point total. Matt Hutchings and Kevin Hutchings both scored twice, too, as Matt Hutchings added an assist.
On the Warriors’ side, Richie Easterly and Mark Purcell had two goals apiece. Casey Rogers, Jack Centore and Andrew French also scored, with Jack Sweeney making 13 saves.
Jordan-Elbridge, with a chance to gain a signature victory last Monday night, hosted Skaneateles, but could not pull it off, taking a 15-7 loss to the Lakers.
The Eagles caught Skaneateles at the wrong time, the Lakers fuming about blowing a 7-3 fourth-quarter lead in an 8-7 overtime defeat to Marcellus at home three nights earlier.
Here, Skaneateles made sure J-E didn’t stage any sort of comeback, steadily gaining a 9-3 lead by halftime and matching everything the Eagles produced in a pivotal third quarter before a shutout in the final period settled matters.
Zach Wagner, in defeat, had two goals and two assists. Sam Robles and Dylan Dunham also found the net twice, with Kyle Humberstone and Nate Town earning single goals. Nick Hallinan did all he could, making 21 saves in the net, but he couldn’t keep everything out as Jack Dawley (four goals), Tyler Strods and Sam Duggan (three goals each) led the Lakers’ efforts.
In Wednesday’s 16-8 defeat to Tully, the Eagles were flattened in the first half, falling behind 12-1, and could not recover. Robles did score three times as Schwarting added two goals and two assists. Dunham, Zach Wagner and Dale Wagner also notched goals, with Humberstone adding an assist.
That same Tully team would put a major scare into Marcellus on Saturday afternoon, but the Mustangs pulled out an 11-10 decision.
Again trailing early, Marcellus caught the Black Knights by halftime, making it 6-6, and then inched out in front during the third quarter before hanging on in a tense homestretch.
Kevin Hutchings put in three goals, adding an assist. Filtch had two goals and two assists, with McNaney, Cox and Matt Hutchings each matching that two-goal output. Lilly made 10 saves. Jon Lippert paced Tully with three goals and one assist as Dan Sherlock’s 16 saves kept it close.
Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes lost, 13-3, to Tully last Monday, and a day later dropped a 10-9 overtime decision to Onondaga, this despite rallying from a 6-3 halftime deficit.
Against the Tigers, Mark Shattuck scored three times, with Joe Spano and Connor Smith getting two goals apiece. Dominick Delvecchio set up those scoring plays with five assists as he and Doug Myrdek had one goal apiece. Phil Do, in goal, made 14 saves, but had a hard time stopping OCS’s Hajenehe Brown, who finished with five goals and one assist.
Then Ludden/Grimes had to face Westhill, and it ended with the Warriors rolling to a 19-3 win, settling matters with a 10-goal second quarter as Rogers, with four goals and one assist, and Easterly and Joe Rainone, with three goals apiece, led the charge.
Centore scored twice, with Chris Marnell and Ryan Zimmerman each getting a goal and two assists. Matt McAnaney and Jake Etoll both got a goal and an assist. Collin Henson and Dan Hodgens managed the other goals.
But Ludden did beat Manlius-Pebble Hill 7-5, going up 3-1 after one period and trading goals with the Trojans’ Duncan Morrison (who had all five of his team’s goals) the rest of the way. Smith and Spano both found the net twice, with Delvecchio adding a goal and three assists. Mark Shattuck and Anthony Talarico had the other goals.
