When the first state Class C boys lacrosse rankings of the season were released, Jamesville-DeWitt, new to these ranks, were in the no. 2 spot, trailing only two-time defending state champion Cold Spring Harbor.
Yet the Red Rams still had links to the past in its schedule, none more significant than Yorktown, the team it beat in the 2016 state Class B final – and who arrived at J-D last Tuesday and earned a bit of payback, a big third quarter leading to the home side suffering a 15-11 defeat.
An active first quarter saw Yorktown move out in front, only to see the Rams’ defense hold them to just one goal in the second period while fighting back to a 5-5 tie.
Things fell apart, though, in the third quarter, with Yorktown winning a string of face-offs and carving up J-D for nine unanswered goals. While the Rams made up more than half that deficit in the final period, it wasn’t quite enough.
Yorktown’s defense held Ryan Archer to a season-low one goal and one assist, with Griffin Cook limited to one goal and two assists. Andrew Barclay did score four times, with Jai Benson adding two goals. Nick Palin, Casey Platenik and Matt Paul also got goals.
Ironically, J-D’s next game was Thursday against Auburn – who, on the same Tuesday that the Rams lost to Yorktown, edged East Syracuse Minoa 8-6 in a clash of the two sides thought to be the sectional Class B favorites.
This was a game with no prolonged run on either side. Tied 2-2 after one period, ESM only got one goal the rest of the half, but stayed within close range. By the time they reached the fourth quarter, it was 6-5, and the Spartans would net just one more.
Lance Madonna was the only ESM player to score twice. Alex Recor had one goal and one assist, with Dan Boland, Luke Rosaschi and Derrek Madonna also finding the net. Andrew Steigerwald made 11 saves as Matt VanLiew led Auburn with three goals and one assist.
When Auburn faced J-D, though, the Red Rams proved too tough, prevailing 18-7 as it steadily got away from the Maroons with an 8-3 first half and then outscored them 6-1 in the third quarter to erase any doubts about the outcome.
Cook had a double-digit point total thanks to five goals and five assists. Joe Kiesa, shut out against Yorktown, matched Cook’s five goals as Archer scored twice and got three assists. Platenik had two goals and one assist as Barclay, Benson, Adam Fontana and Ryan Drotar notched single goals.
ESM, meanwhile, lost another close one, falling 10-9 in overtime to Oswego. What made it more frustrating was that the Spartans appeared to have weathered this test by gaining an 8-6 lead through three quarters before the Buccaneers stormed back to tie it, 9-9, and then prevail in the extra period, carried by Trey Clark, who amassed seven goals and one assist.
Derrek Madonna still had three goals and three assists on the ESM side, with Boland and Lance Madonna each scoring twice. Rosaschi got two assists as single goals went to Nate Jacobs and Alex Kelsey. On Oswego’s side,
