More than 10 months had passed, and nothing had changed for the West Genesee boys lacrosse team in regards to how it lined up against the Baldwinsville Bees.
In a quest for a bit of payback after falling 9-8 to the Bees in the 2017 Section III Class A final, the Wildcats could not get it in last Tuesday’s rematch at Mike Messere Field, this time taking an 8-7 defeat.
Anticipation for this game was present ever since the schedule came out, and only grew when the Bees started 5-0 and rose to no. 4 in the state rankings, with the Wildcats winning its first six games of the season and getting to no. 8 in that same state poll.
Yet that enthusiasm was tempered a bit by the snow cover and cold temperatures that greeted both teams when they took the field, which may have held the crowd down and certainly affected the way both teams would play from the outset.
More than usual, there was difficulty passing the ball, leading to constant scrambles for ground balls and a host of turnovers. WG didn’t get on the board until Kevin Sheehan scored late in the first quarter.
By then, B’ville had a lead it would not relinquish all night. Trailing 2-1 after one period, the Wildcats saw it get worse as the Bees extended its margin to 5-2 in the second quarter, with two goals by Cole Peters and single tallies from Austin Bolton, Adam Davis and Brendan Wilcox.
WG’s attack sprung to life with a burst late in the second quarter as Ryan Smith scored twice and Anthony Datellas added a goal, all in a span of less than two minutes. That sent the game to halftime tied, 5-5.
As it turned out, the third quarter was decisive. All through the period, WG found it difficult to clear the ball out of its own end due to a rash of turnovers that gave the Bees ample chances to go back in front, denied often by goalie Luke Staudt, who finished with 10 saves.
Finally, B’ville broke through as Wilcox and Spencer Wirtheim converted, and the Bees expanded the lead to 8-5 when Bolton found the net with 10:29 left.
That cushion was needed, because WG pulled within one when Max Rosa scored with 7:25 left, and Smith returned to convert for the fourth time with 3:52 to play.
To hang on, B’ville’s defense, stepped up in the waning minutes, while J.J. Johnson stopped Jack Howes point-blank, the most important of his seven saves.
The Bees got it back and ran out the clock, glad to win, but knowing WG would get another shot at them in a May 3 rematch at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
More immediate to the Wildcats was going on the road to face 6-0 Liverpool on Thursday night. The combination of fury at the B’ville loss and a short-handed Warriors roster proved lethal as WG dominated from start to finish in a 15-3 victory.
True, Liverpool had won six in a row, but it entered this game without four key players (Cabry Hildmann, Ryan McGowan, Devin Dewane and Ian Conroy) in the lineup.
That, combined with the Wildcats’ ardor and heavy snow that fell throughout the first half, produced a one-sided game where Liverpool kept turning it over and WG kept pressuring, which led to an 8-0 margin by halftime and an 11-0 lead before the Warriors finally got on the board in the third quarter.
Eleven different players would get on the board for WG as none scored more than twice. Rosa, Noah Sabatino and Brad Cunningham had two goals apiece as Smith and Jack Howes each got one goal and one assist. John Galimi, John Bergan, Ryan Sheehan, Billy Fisher and Jack Delaney each converted, too.
Against visiting Loyola Academy, from Chicago, on Saturday, WG won again, taking a 9-6 decision as it built a 5-2 edge by halftime and, despite getting shut out again in the third quarter, held on to its lead and restored the earlier margin.
Balance and depth was again the story as Smith and Ryan Sheehan got two goals apiece, with Kevin Sheehan getting a goal and three assists. Sabatino, Rosa, Cunningham and Datellas also found the net as Luke Staudt stopped 12 of the 18 shots he faced.
Tuesday night will bring, for WG (8-1), the first of two showdowns with Fayetteville-Manlius, followed by a Thursday game against Syracuse and a Saturday trip to Jamesville-DeWitt.
