With the power to see its season end in renewal or ruin, the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team desperately wanted to choose the first, and more productive path – and did so.
When the Lakers squandered a four-goal, fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime to Marcellus on April 25, it appeared on the brink of rising into the short list of challengers to reigning state champion Cazenovia in the local Class C ranks.
But the late-game rally by the Mustangs threatened everything, and Skaneateles, aware of that danger, made sure it didn’t happen again in last Monday’s trip to Jordan-Elbridge, where it controlled matters from start to finish and beat the Eagles 15-7.
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.
Jack Dawley finished with four goals, while Tyler Strods and Sam Duggan each had three-goal hat tricks. Owen Kuhns added two goals and two assists.
Cullen McGlynn contributed one goal and one assist, with Alex Dunn and Colin Foehl also finding the net. Griffen Lawson added an assist. That helped overcome 21 saves by J-E goalie Nick Hallinan as Zach Wagner led the Eagles’ attack with two goals and two assists.
The Lakers made it back-to-back wins on Thursday night, handling Onondaga 14-2 and officially clinching a Section III Class C playoff berth.
It took a while for Skaneateles to hit its top gear, as only Strods and Connor Hill scored in the first quarter, but McGlynn and Hill got goals 43 seconds apart early in the second period to double that margin.
Duggan joined in with a pair of goals later in that quarter, and Hill had a hat trick by halftime, the Lakers enjoying an 8-0 lead and adding to it later with goals from McGlynn, Dawley, Kuhns and Dawley.
Then, in Saturday’s game at Cortland, things got wild, with neither defense in top form, but when it was settled, the Lakers had pulled out an 18-14 victory over the Purple Tigers.
Strods, with four goals and three assists, led a potent attack where Kuhns found the net five times and Hill managed his own three-goal hat trick. Duggan had two goals and one assist, while Dawley and Kevin Goetzmann had the other goals. Matt May led Cortland with four goals and one assist.
All of these wins put the Lakers at 8-4 and clinched a Section III Class C playoff berth. But two more big regular-season games remained as Skaneateles visits CBA Thursday night at Alibrandi Stadium and battles defending state Class C champion Cazenovia next Monday.
