As if one big, important and marquee match-up wasn’t enough for Cazenovia boys lacrosse fans, another one – or two – was close behind.
Having won at Jamesville-DeWitt last Tuesday night the Lakers then welcomed the state’s top-ranked Class A team, Victor, to the Sean Googin Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Victor won its first-ever state Class B title in 2015, beating J-D in the state semifinals on the way to that crown. Then it moved up to Class A this year and, while maintaining a perfect record, had even garnered the top spot in some national rankings.
All of that talent and acclaim was, in the Lakers’ minds, quite justified after the Blue Devils jumped all over Cazenovia and didn’t let up until the late stages of a 16-11 decision.
Nothing the Lakers tried during the early stages worked, especially on defense, where Victor picked them apart and amassed a 9-1 lead by the early part of the second quarter. Cazenovia played better from there, but the deficit still grew to 14-5 before a surge in the final period cut into it.
Jake Lewis, with five goals, and Cole Willard, with four goals, accounted for most of the Lakers’ production. Tom Bragg had one goal and three assists, while Derek White got one goal and one assist. Brenden Whalen managed seven saves.
Before all this, Cazenovia first had to visit Alibrandi Stadium last Thursday night, where it put together another intelligent, concerted effort to record a 14-7 victory over Christian Brothers Academy.
Having caught Cazenovia between the J-D and Victor clashes, the Brothers hoped for a Lakers letdown, but didn’t get it. Sensing possible fatigue, Cazenovia did most of its damage in the first half and then maintained its cushion in the late going to beat CBA by a 13-7 margin.
Already trailing 3-1 after one period, the Brothers got in worse trouble during the second quarter. Willard paced the Lakers as it built the margin to 9-2, with Willard eventually earning four goals and four assists to continue his late-season tear as White and Lewis each got three goals. Even defender Jake Shaffner chimed in a goal as Bragg and Noah Nash also found the net.
Not letting things get out of hand, CBA played a solid second half, outscoring Cazenovia 5-4 as Alex Calkins scored three times, with Ben McCreary, Lincoln McGarrity, Patrick O’Brien and Lewis Kunda earning one goal apiece, but constantly thwarted by Lakers goalie Brenden Whalen, who earned 15 saves.
The defeat to Victor followed, and Cazenovia will have another big test on Tuesday night when it hosts Baldwinsville, who at 10-2 has emerged as the sectional Class A favorite.
Meanwhile, the Chittenango boys lacrosse team, who were 1-11 going into May, gained its second win of the season last Monday night in large part because David Demand had a career-best effort as the Bears beat Whitesboro 16-11.
For a long portion of the first half, Chittenango trailed, but it pulled even with the Warriors 8-8 by the break and then gradually took over in the last two periods, seeing Demand run his total to nine goals as he tacked on an assist to reach double digits in points.
Demand had enough help, too, especially from Duncan Smith, who kept Whitesboro’s defense from focusing on Demand by scoring five times and adding three assists. Cooper Young and Eli Glube each had two assists, with Young and Jon Karbowniczak adding single goals and Dolan Rockwood making 12 saves. For the Warriors, Ryan Rowlands and Jon Wheeler each had three-goal hat tricks.
