Maybe it just had to go this way for the Westhill boys lacrosse team to break through and, at last, earn a Section III championship.
It had to involve close, excruciating games. It needed overtime somewhere in the mix. And it required the outcome of the title game to stay in doubt until the last second had ticked off the clock.
All of these things had done against the Warriors in the past, but in one glorious stretch of Class C playoff drama things turned, starting with the comeback and OT win that ended Jamesville-DeWitt’s nine-year sectional title run in the semifinals May 24.
Even with that, Westhill still had to conquer top seeded Homer in Wednesday night’s sectional final at Liverpool High School Stadium – which it did with superb defense and physical play as it held off the Trojans 7-6.
True, Homer arrived at this game sporting Section III’s best overall record at 17-1 and a no. 4 state ranking. But Westhill had played them close in their lone regular-season meeting May 9, only dropping a 10-9 decision.
Also, the Warriors had its leading scorer, Luke McAnaney, back in the lineup after illness sidelined him for the J-D game. McAnaney and the rest of the Westhill lineup had gained a belief in itself by upending the Red Rams, and it would carry over.
Owen Matukas, who hit the OT goal that beat J-D, broke a 1-1 tie with a goal late in the first quarter, and converted again to answer Tucker O’Connell’s tally in the second period before Will Delano found the net.
Not only did the Warriors enjoy a 4-2 halftime lead, it was playing the game on its own terms in all aspects, from the patience on offense to a defense that, by using a zone, forced Homer outside to low-percentage shots that kept missing the target.
Only in the third quarter did Westhill get thrown off this pattern. Homer pulled even, 4-4, with back-to-back goals from Vincent Basile, and after Jack Grooms converted, Tucker O’Donnell dazzled by going behind his back to beat Will Delano late in the period.
One period remained, and it was 5-5. This was the point where, so often in the past, something went against the Warriors. But that changed here.
Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Delano converted his second goal. Again, Westhill slowed things down, waited for a chance, and struck when Charlie Bolesh scored with 3:31 to play.
O’Donnell cut the margin to one less than a minute later, and even though the Warriors killed some time with a long possession, it wasn’t until one more defensive stand was made in the waning seconds that Westhill could have its long-sought celebration.
But it didn’t last too long, because on Saturday at 5:30 the Warriors will find itself in the state Class C tournament for the first time, taking on Section IV champion Johnson City in the regional final at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium.
