Marcellus managed seven goals in the entirety of Saturday’s boys lacrosse Section III Class C quarterfinal at Carthage. Westhill got to that total early in the second quarter of its Class D quarterfinal against Jordan-Elbridge.
Regardless of the level of production, though, the Mustangs and Warriors both made it through their respective playoff openers and moved within two victories of a sectional title.
For Marcellus, the no. 5 seed in Class C, the task was taller, since it involved a long road trip north and an opponent, Carthage, which had plenty of history of regular-season and post-season success and was 11-5, a far cry from the Mustangs’ 4-12 regular-season mark.
Yet it was the Mustangs prevailing 7-6, showing just how much a tough regular-season schedule had prepared them for this test as one big scoring burst and tough, consistent defense made the difference.
Even as Marcellus struggled to get its attack going during the first half, it didn’t let Carthage get away. With Dan Cusick accumulating a good portion of his 14 saves, the Mustangs only trailed by two, 4-2, at the break.
Then, in the third quarter, the Mustangs sprinted out in front, scoring five times in that frame. Then, in a tense final period, the Marcellus defense again stood up with clutch stops to protect its slim edge.
Gabe VanOrder led the comeback, producing three goals and two assists. The other four goals came from four different players – Sam Rice, Matt Chrysler, Emmitt Barry and Matt Reich, with Shane Rohe and Liam Tierney picking up assists.
An even bigger test for Marcellus looms in the sectional semifinals Tuesday at Liverpool High School Stadium when it faces top-seed Jamesville-DeWitt, the state’s no. 2-ranked team. The winner comes back to Liverpool Thursday for the sectional final against no. 2 seed Homer or no. 3 seed New Hartford.
Contrasting the Mustangs’ need for stellar defense at Carthage, Westhill, no. 2 in the state Class D rankings but still after its first-ever sectional title, needed plenty of production to subdue Jordan-Elbridge 22-11.
Throughout the first half, the Warriors found little trouble converting against an overmatched Eagles defense, and didn’t let up until it had built a 13- 6 lead. That margin grew as Casey Rogers and Braeden Elmer led Westhill, scoring five goals apiece.
Jack Grooms scored four times, plus an assist, while Luke McAnaney amassed five assists to go with two goals. Charlie Bolesh had a goal and two assists as Andrew Hodgens and Owen Matukas also scored.
For J-E, whose season finished with a 12-5 record, Dylan Dunham had four goals and Evan Brunelle added three goals. Colby Falcone found the net twice as Dale Wagner got a goal and three assists. Hunter Brunelle had one goal and one assist. Chris Ryan added an assist as goalie Steve Tripp recorded 12 saves.
Later that night, Westhill found out that it would face no. 6 seed Cazenovia in the sectional semifinals Tuesday at East Syracuse-Minoa Stadium after Cazenovia surprised no. 3 seed Skaneateles 12-8.
The other Class D semifinal pits no. 4 seed LaFayette against top seed Christian Brothers Academy, who ended the season of no. 8 seed Bishop Ludden by a score of 20-9 in their quarterfinal at Alibrandi Stadium.
Under attack most of the way, Gaelic Knights goalie Chris Hurley had 19 saves. Dom Delvecchio had a part in most of Ludden’s attack, earning two goals and five assists as Jacob Carter got three goals and one assist. Zach Delaney and Matt Delaney also had two-goal outings.
CBA proved too potent, though, as six different players earned multiple goals. Alex Calkins had four goals and one assist, with Augie Bonacci and Ben McCreary each had three goals and three assists. Patrick O’Brien, Mike Adornato and Joey Matheson each had two goals and one assist.
Both Ludden and J-E got out of last Thursday’s opening round with relative ease as the Gaelic Knights eliminated no. 9 seed Lowville 18-3 and the Eagles did much the same thing cruising past no. 10 seed Holland Patent 20-2.
Shutting out Lowville in the first quarter, Ludden built a 5-0 lead, extended it to 12-1 by halftime and didn’t let up as Bailey Martin anchored the effort, amassing six assists to go with his pair of goals as Dom Delvecchio got three goals and five assists.
Ethan Gentile and Matt Delaney also had three-goal outings, with Gentile adding two assists. Carter scored twice, with Mac Mulhern getting one goal and one assist. Kyle McLaughlin and Jeff Dargiewicz added assists.
Meanwhile, J-E was busy scoring 12 goals in the first quarter against Holland Patent. It got to 18-1 by halftime, with Dunham getting five goals and three assists as Hunter Brunelle scored three times and got five assists.
Falcone, with four goals and one assist, and Jacob Schwarting, with three goals and four assists, were close behind as Wagner found the net twice. Evan Brunelle, Chris Ryan and Tyler Fietta had one goal apiece.
