From the time the Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse team edged past Liverpool 10-9 on March 31, each side had handled their separate affairs in different manners, with the Northstars going 3-0 during the week of the school break.
It started last Tuesday with C-NS smashing Central Square 20-3, building upon its comfortable 5-0 first-quarter lead with an 8-1 surge through the rest of the first half, all but putting the game away.
Zach Debottis, with three goals and three assists, led the way as Ryan Waldron scored four times and Nate Scarlata added three goals of his own. Brandon O’Brien and Brad Williams each had two goals and two assists.
Ray Scarlata also found the net twice, with Drew Flack getting a goal and two assists. Conner Collins and Nick Riccardi each had one goal and one assist as Mike Meneilly produced three assists and Brian Rowe had one assist.
It was a lot closer on Thursday for C-NS against East Syracuse Minoa, but a good first half proved just enough for the Northstars to hold off the Spartans 10-9.
During those first two periods, C-NS defended quite well, and it translated to success on the other end as the Northstars built a 7-2 halftime lead.
But ESM made it interesting by outscoring C-NS 5-1 in the third quarter, leading to a tense finish where the Northstars had to match the Spartans’ production down the stretch.
Scoring four times, Debottis again proved C-NS’s most consistent threat, though Waldron matched his point total with two goals and two assists. Riccardi had a goal and three assists as Brad Williams earned two goals and one assist. Scarlata had the other goal as each of Zach Sheridan’s 11 saves proved important.
Saturday’s non-league against Colonie (Section II) turned into a close, low-scoring affair with long possessions and little production, but C-NS survived it to beat the Garnet Raiders 4-3.
Colonie’s attempts to slow things down backfired because C-NS shut them out in both the first and third quarters, eventually gaining a 3-1 lead that held up late. Riccardi did score twice, with Scarlata and Williams landing the other goals. Waldron added an assist and Sheridan stopped 11 of the 14 shots he faced.
But for Liverpool, who knocked off defending Section III Class A champion Fayetteville-Manlius 13-12 on April 4, things did not turn out as well last Tuesday afternoon, when untimely scoring droughts led to an 8-4 defeat to Westhill.
At 3-0 entering the game, Westhill proved that record was far from a fluke in this Warrior clash. They were tied, 1-1, through one period. But for the rest of the half, Westhill controlled the face-offs, keeping Liverpool in a defensive mode, and turned those possessions into four unanswered goals.
Liverpool cut the deficit in half, to 6-4, entering the fourth quarter, but Westhill got a shutout in that last period, Dan O’Connell working his total to eight saves, and restored the margin.
Kendall Keahey had three of Liverpool’s four goals and assisted on the other, by Dom Castiglia. Matt Sala added an assist as Kyle Halladay recorded nine saves. Richie Easterly, with three goals, and Casey Rogers, with two goals and one assist, paced Westhill’s modest attack.
From there, the Warriors were off until this week, when it would go to unbeaten West Genesee on Wednesday and to Baldwinsville on Friday before hosting Essex, from Vermont, on Saturday afternoon. C-NS would take its 5-1 record into Monday’s game against Binghamton before a big battle Thursday against the combined Syracuse city squad.
