Partially through its own good work, and partially through the help of others, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls golf team found itself rising back to the top of the CNY Counties League standings.

Yet to maintain that place, the Hornets would have to defeat Auburn in last Friday’s key early-season showdown at Green Lakes. Catching the Maroons at just the right time, F-M put together another superb full-team effort and won by a 181-210 margin.

Without question, Auburn missed two-time state individual champion Lindsay May, who had also not played in the team’s previous match, a 212-220 home defeat to Cicero-North Syracuse, but even May’s presence may not have made a difference.

Madison Kingsley shot a nine-hole score of 40, tops among individuals by four shots over the Maroons’ Maggie Lesch. Then Bailey Wallace posted a 45 and Maggie Bonomo added a 46, with Justine Burness also stepping up her play by posting a 50. All of them beat Auburn’s trio of Marki Flurschutz (51), Lauryn Husby (52) and Samantha Lesch (62).

Back on Monday, while Auburn was taking that home loss to C-NS, F-M went into first place, with its own brilliant effort at Timber Banks during a 182-244 victory over Baldwinsville. Bonomo shot a 42, and her teammates were close behind as the Bees’ Emma Brushingham led her side with a 53.

F-M couldn’t look ahead to Auburn quite yet as it had to first face West Genesee Wednesday at Westvale Golf Club, but he Hornets didn’t have any problem with that assignment, though, routing the Wildcats 173-231. While Bonomo led with a 41, she had plenty of company from teammates as Wallace stepped up to shoot a 43 and Kingsley managed a 44.

While all this was going on, girls teams at Jamesville-DeWitt, CBA and East Syracuse Minoa rested during the school break and would resume their season this week, as would boys teams at Manlius-Pebble Hill and Bishop Grimes.