True, the road was rough, and many different times the Christian Brothers Academy boys lacrosse team could have sunk, and no one would complain too much since trying to follow-up a first-ever state championship with a young, mostly unproven roster is quite a task.
Yet there were the Brothers last Wednesday night, back at Liverpool High School Stadium and, just like 2017, celebrating a Section III Class D championship, the last hurdle a 14-12 victory over General Brown in the title game.
In denying the Lions its first-ever sectional crown, CBA showed that the program head coach Ric Beardsley and his staff had built had staying power beyond the star core of last year’s history-makers.
It also showed patience due to unusual circumstances that delayed the start of the final.
While driving down from Dexter, the bus carrying General Brown’s players and coaches got a flat tire on Route 81. Liverpool school officials had to send a bus to the highway in order to transport everyone to the stadium.
All of this pushed the start time back one full hour on a hot late afternoon where the thermometer pushed past 90 degrees and the heat index neared 100.
Once things got underway, the top-seeded, state no. 2-ranked Lions didn’t show any ill effects in the opening minutes, but its 2-1 lead soon vanished when the Brothers netted four straight goals from four different players – Colin Kelly, Wyatt Auyer, Francis Cannizzo and Mike Adornato.
Fighting back, GB tied it, 5-5, in the second quarter, and they traded goals until Will Mackenzie produced the game’s most spectacular run, a 60-yard dash from beyond midfield and shot that found the net.
Combined with Alex Henderson’s goal in the last minute, it put the Brothers in front 8-6 at the break, and it carried over into the third quarter as CBA scored three more times to establish an 11-6 margin.
But it wasn’t over. The Lions blanked the Brothers the rest of the period, and despite goals by Adornato and Joey Matheson, ate away at CBA’s margin until, with 4:20 left, Corey O’Connor converted, making it 13-11.
Not content with the lead it had, the Brothers kept pushing and saw Matheson, with 1:33 left, seal the victory. Matheson was one of five players to score twice, joining Adornato, Mackenzie, Kelly and Patrick O’Brien as Sam Bonacci and Ian Henderson got goals, too.
Now it is back into the state tournament for CBA, who faces Section IV champion Chenango Forks on Saturday in the regional final at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium.
