CENTRAL NEW YORK – For the Jamesville-DeWitt girls lacrosse team, the path back to the top in the area Class C ranks goes through the team which beat them for the sectional title a season ago.
So the Red Rams’ matchup with Fulton last Monday night had particular importance, and with a fine all-around effort J-D got the best of it, bashing the Red Dragons 15-8.
As it steadily pulled clear, the Rams leaned heavily on the duo of Ella Parker and Merris Kessler, who combined for as many goals as the entire opposing roster, each scoring four times.
Maggie Bliss scored twice and got two assists, with Lillian Wells adding two goals. Sadie Withers had a goal and two assists, with Lauren Mills and Gabriela Doumit adding goals. Pearson Eckrich played in goal and recorded seven saves.
Off until Saturday, J-D then got 4-0 overall by handling Section IV’s Ithaca 10-3 just as Fayetteville-Manlius returned to action and got its own victory over Watertown 19-7.
In the Rams’ case, Kessler led with three goals and one assist. Close behind her, Parker and Withers both converted twice, single goals going to Doumit, Lacey Phaneuf and Alexis Scaramuzzino. Wells got two assists and Bliss a single assist.
The Hornets had four different players earn hat tricks, led by Jane Ryan’s career-best five goals. Helen Dougherty scored four times and got two assists, with Taylor Novack and Mallory Burns each earning three goals and one assist. Camille Ryan and Sara Fischi also had goals and Brooke Southwick added an assist.
East Syracuse Minoa made it two wins in as many matches at Cortland last Monday night, steadily gaining an 8-5 lead by halftime and then doubling that margin late while putting away the Purple Tigers 12-6.
Liliana DiNatale, whose go-ahead goal beat Syracuse in the April 3 opener, netted a hat trick this time, with Mackenzie Sage and Madison Wood each getting two goals. Lindsay Davis and Lola Laxton both got one goal and one assist, with Jordis Aldrich, Caleigh Hampel and Laila Thomas also converting.
The win streak for ESM halted last Wednesday with a 12-8 defeat to Clinton, who bolted out to a 7-2 halftime advantage led by Leah Altieri, who finished with five goals, and Claire Mihm, who got a three-goal hat trick.
Though the Spartans made up some ground in the second half it could not get too close. Still, DiNatale and Wood both scored three times, with Sage and Samantha Baumann adding goals.
All of the teams were sidelined by weather until last Thursday, when Christian Brothers Academy, who had raced out to a 3-0 start, got overwhelmed at home by Skaneateles in a 16-4 defeat.
Having absorbed its worst defeat in more than a decade to West Genesee (15-5 on April 3), the Lakers roared back to form by building a 10-1 edge on CBA by halftime and not letting up even with a running clock.
Between five goals from Paige Willard and Mara Stanton and three goals from Grace Marquardt, Skaneateles had plenty of firepower at hand. Maeve Mackenzie put in three of her team’s four goals, the other going to Lilah Kirch.