With its spot atop the state Class D rankings following its April 13 win over Penn Yan, the Westhill boys lacrosse team would roll to more victories during the week of the school break in advance of a big Tuesday showdown with Skaneateles at Hyatt Stadium.
First, the Warriors visited New Hartford last Tuesday afternoon and pulled away to beat the Spartans 15-6, though it wasn’t easy at the outset.
Strong defense from New Hartford meant that Westhill only led 4-3 at halftime before a third-quarter outburst where the Warriors outscored the Spartans 8-1, and unlike the Penn Yan game, it didn’t depend on Casey Rogers for most of the production.
Rogers still had three goals, but so did Jack Miller, while Charlie Bolesh and Jack Grooms each scored twice and got an assist. Andrew Hodgens and Owen Matukas also had two-goal outings as Luke McAnaney joined Rogers in earning one assist.
Two days later, Westhill won again, handling Central Square 16-4 and, unlike with New Hartford, the first half was a blitz. Before the Redhawks could settle down, the Warriors had streaked to a 15-1 lead by intermission.
McAnaney and Rogers each scored three times, with McAnaney adding two assists. Miller, Grooms, Hodgens and Braeden Elmer notched two goals apiece, while Matukas and Brian Costello added single goals. Alex Padula earned an assist.
Central Square had just faced Jordan-Elbridge earlier in the week, and the Eagles had prevailed 13-8, inching out in front early and then trading goals until it outscored the Redhawks 4-1 in the third period to gain a 10-5 edge.
Hunter Brunelle scored four times on J-E’s side, while Jacob Schwarting earned two goals and three assists. Dylan Dunham had a three-goal hat trick as Dale Wagner and Colby Falcone matched Schwarting’s two-goal totals. Steve Tripp finished with nine saves.
Then J-E took its shot at state Class D no. 9-ranked Skaneateles on Thursday – actually, it took many shots, and many of them went in, too, though not enough of them to prevail in a wild 23-18 defeat to the Lakers.
All through the first half, the Eagles’ defense struggled, leading to a 13-5 deficit. For the rest of the game, J-E tried to make up for those early problems by going all-out in its attack, and it found plenty of success, though not enough to make up the Skaneateles margin.
Dunham landed seven goals, adding an assist. Schwarting and Hunter Brunelle each scored three times, Brunelle adding two assists. Falcone and Wagner got two goals apiece, with Evan Brunelle getting a goal and two assists. Skaneateles featured Reggie Buell, who had six goals and four assists, and Pat Hackler, who got seven goals and two assists.
J-E did win on Saturday, though, beating St. Maria Goretti (Maryland) 17-8, largely on the basis of going on a 7-0 run in the third quarter after building a 10-4 first-half advantage.
Wagner, Falcone and Hunter Burnelle each poured in five goals, with Burnelle getting two assists. Schwarting notched five assists to go with his lone goal as Dunham earned one goal and one assist. Chris Ryan and Evan Brunelle had two assists apiece. Luke Pinckney also had an assist.
Bishop Ludden, with the no. 11 state Class D ranking, was poised for a win over 0-5 Tully last Tuesday afternoon, only to squander a late lead in a 13-10 defeat as the Black Knights blanked the Gaelic Knights in the fourth quarter while outscoring them 4-0.
Prior to that, Dom Delvecchio had carried Ludden’s attack with four goals and two assists. Zach Delaney had two goals and two assists, with Bailey Martin getting two goals and one assist. Matt Delaney and Jeff Dargiewicz had the other goals.
Tully overcame Chris Hurley’s 16 saves with Tyler Edinger (four goals) and Brendan Lyon (three goals, one assist) leading the way. Dante Cuttino had a goal and three assists as Aaron Hughes and Jake Edinger each scored twice.
Marcellus ran into state Class C no. 10-ranked Homer last Tuesday and fell to the Trojans 12-4. Over the course of the last three quarters, the Mustangs only scored twice, allowing Homer to gradually draw clear.
Gabe VanOrder, Rob Lobello, Liam Tierney and Matt Connell each had goals on the Marcellus side. Nate Garlow joined VanOrder in the assist column as Dan Cusick, with 20 saves, kept it from getting more lopsided. Jake Riley, Dante Yacavone and Tucker O’Donnell led Homer with three goals apiece, Riley adding three assists.
