In a quest to add to its own daunting and staggering record with a 16th state championship, the West Genesee boys lacrosse team got to the final round, only to get thwarted by an opponent making its own kind of history.
Niskayuna, by defeating the Wildcats 13-10 in Saturday’s state Class A final at Vestal High School’s Dick Hoover Stadium, not only claimed its first-ever state title, but the first boys lacrosse state crown for any school from Section II in any class.
To finally claim a prize it fell just short of twice before (including in 2005 to West Genesee), the Silver Warriors depended on a big, physical and talented midfield that accounted for most of the goal-scoring, plus a goalie, Nick Testa, that made many crucial saves in the second half to keep his team in front.
“We outplayed them in the second half, did a jog and didn’t give up,” said WG head coach Mike Messere. “We just didn’t put the ball in the goal.”
But that wasn’t a problem at the outset, for either team. The tone was set when Niskayuna’s John Prendergast scored 17 seconds into the game, only to have Matt McDonald and Tyler Shoults answer for the Wildcats to grab a 2-1 lead before the first quarter was 90 seconds old.
Over the next four minutes, each side scored twice more, but no one could have figured that Nick Cunningham’s tally midway through the opening period, which made it 4-3 in the Wildcats’ favor, would be the last lead WG would enjoy.
With a high-powered attack, Niskayuna preferred the fast pace, and even as the goal-scoring pace wound down, the Silver Warriors seized an 8-5 lead by the latter part of the second quarter.
Midfielder Aidan O’Brien led the way, scoring four first-half goals and five overall. Prendergrast would get four goals and Lucas Quinn scored three times, the trio of Silver Warriors midfielders proving difficult to contain all afternoon.
Still, when David Procopio hit on his second goal just two seconds before halftime to cut his team’s deficit to 8-6, it gave the Wildcats momentum that carried over, briefly, into the third quarter as Shoults’ tally 1:40 into the period cut Niskayuna’s margin to one, 8-7.
But that was the last time WG would score in the period. When it had the ball, the Wildcats got plenty of chances, only to either shoot it wide, hit iron (five posts for the game) or throw it right into the grasp of Testa, who made 17 saves and was named the game’s MVP.
Goals by O’Brien and Prendergrast expanded Niskayuna’s lead to 13-8, but WG wasn’t done, constantly attacking throughout the fourth quarter and pulling closer with Cunningham and Conor Bartlett both finding the net in the latter stages.
Every other time, though, Testa was able to add to his save total, and Niskayuna held on, leaving WG a state runner-up for the eighth time. The Wildcats have not won a state championship since 2008.
Still, Messere said the season was a great one for his Wildcats.
“This team has great character and worked hard,” he said. “They’ve come a long, long way.”
