So this was what the West Genesee boys lacrosse team had in mind.
Having gone through unprecedented struggles and fallen out of the state rankings for the first time in program history, the Wildcats, through it all, persevered enough to give its fans belief that it just might defend the Section III Class A championship after all.
All of it stems from the way WG’s regular season ended, from a May 12 rout at Liverpool to returning home to Mike Messere Field Wednesday on Senior Night and dominating Auburn through much of the contest on the way to an 11-6 victory over the Maroons.
Auburn arrived with a rare opportunity to sweep a regular-season series from its long-time nemesis, having toppled the Wildcats in a 10-9 thriller on April 14 at Holland Stadium.
But emotions were high in Camillus beyond the WG-Auburn rivalry. It was Senior Night, and what was more, the Wildcats, instead of its usual home white jerseys, were donned in gold-colored uniforms, a unique look that appeared to fire up the players from the moment the game faced off.
Claiming the early draws, WG tore up Auburn’s defenses and bolted to a 5-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Though that pace couldn’t be sustained for the rest of the half, the Wildcats still carried that same margin to halftime, leading 6-1.
Any hopes that the Maroons carried for a comeback vanished when WG outscored them 4-2 in the third quarter. By then, Tyler Shoults had picked up a three-goal hat trick, while Kevin Sheehan had two goals and one assist and Matt McDonald had also scored twice.
Jack Howes and Ryan McDonald both had one goal and one assist as Ryan Smith and Spencer McNamara got single goals and assists went to Conor Bartlett and John Bergan. Though Auburn’s Jake Morin and Kaiden Tubbert each found the net twice, more often they were thwarted as Wildcats goalie Ryan Mavretish made 12 saves.
Now, despite a 9-7 record, WG holds the no. 3 seed in the sectional tournament.
And with just seven teams in the Class A bracket, the Wildcats draw no. 6 seed Rome Free Academy in Tuesday night’s playoff opener, knowing a win likely means a semifinal Thursday at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium against no. 2 seed Fayetteville-Manlius, who draws Utica Proctor. The final is May 28 at 4 p.m. at the Carrier Dome.
