Whatever else happens from now on, it’s already an unprecedented season for the Westhill boys lacrosse team.
That’s because the Warriors, for the first time in program history, rose to the top of the state rankings, doing so in the inaugural Class D poll following an impressive 5-0 start. Now the trick for Westhill was not to let that bit of history derail the real goal of finishing the season on top.
Ironically, the second game following this designation brought together the no. 1 and no. 2-ranked teams in the state, Westhill taking on Penn Yan Thursday night. And it turned into a showcase for Warriors senior Casey Rogers as he nearly carried his team to a 10-6 victory over the Mustangs.
Things didn’t start out well for Westhill, who trailed 2-0 late in the first quarter before Jack Miller’s goal put his team on the board. But then the second quarter belonged to the Warriors on both ends, and would prove decisive.
Rogers tied the game early in the period, with Luke McAnaney netting the go-ahead goal. After Braeden Elmer made it 4-2, the Warriors kept on pressuring until Rogers, with 19.7 seconds left in the half, scored for the second time, giving his side a 5-2 cushion at the break.
When Penn Yan threatened to get close in the third quarter, Rogers, with his all-around game, frustrated the Mustangs. He also scored his third and fourth goals, the latter of them coming in the waning seconds of the period to double the Warriors’ margin.
Penn Yan made one more comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, moving within three, 8-5, with more than eight minutes left. Again, though, the Warriors held firm on defense, Tim O’Connor working his total to nine saves, and gave it to Rogers, who sniped home two more goals to give him six for the night and put the game away.
In its first game with that no. 1 ranking, Westhill took on LaFayette last Tuesday afternoon and got off to a rough start – but that may have been just what the Warriors needed, for it controlled matters from that point forward and beat the Lancers 15-8.
Fired up as so many teams are when confronting a top-ranked opponent, LaFayette roared to a 4-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. But then Westhill made defensive adjustments, and it took the Lancers the rest of the game to double that goal total.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ attack got going thanks to Miller’s season-best total of five goals and one assist. McAnaney had three goals and two assists, while Rogers also scored three times, adding an assist. Elmer got two goals as Jack Grooms and Owen Rodgers had one goal apiece.
While Westhill faced Penn Yan, Marcellus had its own big game against its main rival, Skaneateles, who came in with a 6-1 record. With a chance to get a signature win, the Mustangs put up a solid effort, but fell to the Lakers 15-10.
Held to one goal in the first quarter, the Mustangs’ production improved as the night went on. Shane Rohe led the push, earning four goals and two assists, helped by Sam Rice, who scored twice. Single goals went to Gabe VanOrder, Liam Tierney, Emmitt Barry and Matt Connell as Barry added an assist.
Yet even as Marcellus got comfortable in its attack, Skaneateles built an 11-6 margin, one it would sustain down the stretch. John Danforth led the Lakers with four goals and one assist, with Pat Hackler and Nick Wamp each netting three-goal hat tricks as Reggie Buell and Patrick Major earned two goals apiece.
The Mustangs, who had lost last Monday to West Genesee, rebounded a night later to beat Tully 11-6. Even this game wasn’t easy, with the Black Knights rallying from an early deficit to tie it, 4-4, by halftime, before Marcellus blanked Tully during a decisive 4-0 third-quarter run.
Eight different Mustangs netted goals as Rice, Connell and Tierney each found the net twice. Rohe and Nate Garlow each had a goal and three assists as VanOrder, Barry and Matt Chrysler also scored. Matt Reich picked up an assist.
Bishop Ludden was recognized for its surprising start with a no. 11 state Class D ranking, and celebrated last Tuesday night by routing Holland Patent 15-3, a game where the Gaelic Knights blanked the Golden Knights from the second quarter onward, netting 11 unanswered goals.
Dom Delvecchio continued to light it up, pouring in five goals and adding four assists. Matt Delaney and Bailey Martin each scored three times, Delaney adding two assists as Martin got one assist. Ethan Gentile had two goals and one assist as Mac Mulhern had a goal and three assists. Jacob Carter also earned a goal.
