For the second time in the last three years, the Fayetteville-Manlius boys lacrosse team gets a chance to defend the Section III Class A championship.
Whether it is successful this time around remains an open question, but the Hornets do return six starters from the 2016 side that edged Baldwinsville in the sectional final before a narrow defeat to Corning in the regional playoffs.
F-M had to deal with rain and wind when it hosted Auburn in last Thursday night’s season opener. Remembering that the Maroons beat them a season ago, the Hornets did not let that happen here, as strong starts to each half keyed a 10-6 victory.
Each side was more potent during the first two periods, but the key was that F-M pieced together quality attacks during the opening quarter and seized a 3-1 lead. Then it answered every Auburn goal with one of its own to lead, 6-4, at the break.
Hopes of a Maroons rally got thwarted when the Hornets’ defense blanked Auburn in the third quarter, Ryan Boshart eventually working his total to 11 saves. Meanwhile, F-M doubled its lead to 8-4, which allowed it to control the tempo in the final quarter.
Donovan Welsh scored four times, adding an assist to have a part in half of F-M’s scoring plays. Luke Burnam had two goals, with Ryan Cicci getting a goal and two assists. Nick Papa, Luke Hamel and James Rettinger had one goal apiece.
Two days later, F-M hosted a Marcellus side that had already taken one-sided defeats to two other tough foes, Baldwinsville and Cazenovia, earlier in the week. The Hornets wouldn’t let up on the Mustangs, either, as a strong first half led to a 13-7 win.
All through the first half, F-M controlled possession, through face-offs and with an attack that didn’t give the ball away. Eventually, those chances led to a steady stream of goals and the Hornets leading 9-2 at halftime.
Though the second half wasn’t as crisp, F-M still rolled with a well-balanced attack led by Burnam’s three goals and Welsh’s two goals and three assists. Mac Fish, shut out in the opener, got a goal and three assists as Cicci, Ted Wells and Tommy Ryu each scored twice and Brett Barlow contributed a single tally.
On the same Thursday night where F-M topped Auburn, East Syracuse Minoa got underway, too, but unlike the Hornets, the Spartans’ opening assignment proved an easy one to master as it routed Whitesboro 17-3.
It took less than a minute for ESM to put up its first two goals of the season, courtesy of Nate Jacobs and Derrek Madonna. Both of them scored again before the first quarter was done, with Lance Madonna joining in to make it 5-1 going to the second period.
Then it got more lopsided, with the Spartans torching the Warriors for seven unanswered goals to extend the lead to 12-1 by halftime. Derrek Madonna scored twice more, giving him four for the night, and Jacobs completed his own hat trick, too.
Not stopping there, Jacobs would work his total to six goals before resting in the fourth quarter. Lance Madonna would catch up to his brother as they both found the net four times, Lance adding three assists, while Luke Rosaschi had two goals and one assist. Dillon May tacked on a goal and Devon Spencer got an assist.
Ironically, ESM would have its own game against Marcellus on Tuesday before hosting Jordan-Elbridge Friday night. F-M would not play this week, instead working and resting before a key early-season April 13 clash with West Genesee at Mike Messere Field.
