While it might not be as mighty and formidable as at some other points this decade, the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team still has quite a head start when compared to its neighbors from Chittenango.
Finally playing a true home game at the Sean Googin Sports Complex on the first evening of May, the Lakers hosted the Bears and had things in control from the outset on the way to a 17-3 victory.
Improving its record to 7-4 overall, Cazenovia netted six unanswered goals in the first quarter. Even when Chittenango got on the board in the second period, the Lakers added to its margin until it was up 13-2 at the break.
It continued from there, Thomas Bragg getting four goals and three assists to lead Cazenovia as Brian Pezzi picked up three goals, adding an assist.
Alex Nowak and Brody Coleman had two goals apiece, with Ryan Romagnoli getting a goal and two assists. Trey Schug had one goal and one assist as Tim Burr, Cole Basic, Kevin Ammann and Tony Heaney also scored, Matt McLaughlin adding an assist.
Chittenango saw Seth Spurgeon earn two of the team’s three goals, with the other going to Zeph Scott. Between them, Bears goalie Patrick Donner and Corey Jackowski had seven saves.
Great as this result was for the Lakers, it didn’t carry over into Thursday’s game at Marcellus, where a mid-game lapse proved costly and a late comeback fell just short in a 13-12 defeat to the Mustangs.
Both teams came into the game with 7-4 records, and it was Cazenovia getting the jump, but its 4-2 lead didn’t hold as Marcellus blanked the Lakers in the second quarter and netted five unanswered goals.
The second half was spent protecting that lead, with consistent defense and the occasional big goal making the difference. Nowak led all individuals with four goals, but Marcellus contained Bragg, holding him to two goals and two assists .
Pezzi and Burr helped out, each with two goals and one assist, while Basic and Coleman had single goals. Gabe VanOrder, with two goals and three assists, led a well-balanced Marcellus attack as Matt Crysler scored three times, with Emmett Barry getting two goals and two assists. Matt Connell and Liam Tierney also found the net twice.
Chittenango, meanwhile, was at home, beating Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 9-7 as it gave up an early lead, only to outscore the Red Devils 3-1 in the third quarter to break out of a 5-5 tie.
Hanging on late, the Bears had Spurgeon, Shane Kolb and Caleb Barnard get two goals apiece. Single tallies went to Scott, Billy Demand and Hunter Penoyer as Tanner Larameet and Francis Cerio earned assists. Donner stopped 12 of the 19 shots he faced.
The game with Indian River on Friday was the Bears’ third in four days, but it still prevailed, 14-10, mostly because it went on a 6-1 run in the third quarter after building a 6-5 halftime advantage on the Warriors.
Spurgeon broke out with five goals and three assists, with Barnard getting three goals and three assists. Demand, Scott and Kolb each scored twice, with Demand contributing an assist.
Amid this crowded regular-season homestretch, Chittenango would host Cortland Monday and go to Homer a day later before a Thursday game at Marcellus, while Cazenovia hosted Westhill Tuesday and got its own game against Homer Thursday before taking on LaFayette Saturday afternoon.
