All that the West Genesee boys lacrosse team had done early in the season was built toward its first encounter with Baldwinsville since dropping last spring’s Section III Class A final to the Bees.
On Tuesday night at Mike Messere Field, the showdown takes place, with the Wildcats having shown top form throughout much of the prelude to that match on its way to a 6-0 start as B’ville arrives at this game with a 5-0 mark.
League play started last Tuesday night for WG at Corcoran High School, where it faced the combined Syracuse City team and shredded past the Cougars 20-1.
Roaring to a 14-1 halftime lead, the Wildcats saw Max Rosa score five times and Jack Howes net four goals, plus an assist. Ryan Smith and Jimmy Bergan had two goals apiece as Smith tacked on a pair of assists.
Brad Cunningham, Anthony Datellas, Kevin Sheehan and Ryan Sheehan each had one goal and one assist. John Galimi got two assists as Jack Delaney, Lucas Allen and Michael Louse added goals. John Bergan and David McCarthy also had assists.
Two nights later, WG was back on home turf, facing Cicero-North Syracuse, and it didn’t turn out much different as a dominant first half led to a 15-4 victory over the Warriors.
The state Class A no. 8-ranked Wildcats roared to a 12-1 edge by halftime, ultimately seeing Kevin Sheehan produce three goals and three assists and Rosa get two goals, plus two assists.
Ryan Smith, Ryan Sheehan and Noah Sabatino matched Rosa’s two-goal output. Howes had a goal and two assists as Bergan got one goal and one assist, with Galimi and Datellas also finding the net.
This came on the same day that some WG seniors signed college letters of intent. Howes, Bergan and Kevin Sheehan all signed to attend Le Moyne College, with Kevin Snow committing to the Virginia Military Institute.
Meanwhile, the West Genesee girls lacrosse team headed into league play undefeated in the wake of its best all-around effort of the season last Wednesday night, a 10-3 victory over Rush-Henrietta.
This was the same Royal Comets side that defeated Baldwinsville on April 6, so success was far from a given, especially with the way the Wildcats had narrowly escaped against the likes of Fulton earlier this season.
And WG, despite a goal by Adrianna Nojaim, trailed 2-1 until it made a decisive move midway through the first half. Goals by Eliza MacCaull, Emily Stratton, Matisyn Schaut, Julia Williams and Phoebe Nelson put the Wildcats ahead for good.
What’s more, with a 6-3 halftime lead, WG clamped down on defense, blanking Rush-Henrietta in the second half as MacCaull took over, earning three more goals to give her four for the night. Schaut added a second goal as Williams and Samantha Detor earned assists.
On Friday, WG went on the road to meet yet another Section V opponent, Victor, and rolled past the Blue Devils 18-3 with its most prolific performance of the season to date.
Nelson led with four goals and one assist as Samantha Detor had two goals and four assists. Nojaim scored three times, with Tara Osterdale matching Detor’s two-goal output. Williams had a goal and two assists, while Schaut, Stratton and Mackenzie Winn each had one goal and one assist. MacCaull, Grace Detor and Halen Saroney also earned goals.
