Rarely in any sport is a score or result seen as a victory by both sides.
Yet an exception could be found in Thursday’s boys lacrosse showdown between Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa, where the Red Rams and Spartans both found reason to feel good when the game was over.
J-D, no. 2 in the state Class C rankings, was pleased because it won, 11-10, completing a regular-season sweep of its neighbors and improving to 11-0 on the season.
But ESM left with a newfound belief that, should the teams meet once more in the Section III playoffs, it would have a chance to finish on top. At the very least, it represented vast progress for the state no. 14-ranked Spartans, who had lost 14-6 at home to these same Rams three weeks earlier.
Attempting to set a fast early pace, J-D could not shake ESM, only leading 4-3 after one period and seeing that slim advantage disappear as the Spartans came back and tied it, 6-6, by halftime
And even as the Rams inched back in front in the third quarter, it could not pull away, constantly thwarted by ESM’s goalie, Logan Lemelbaum, who amassed 19 saves.
Battling to the end, the Spartans had Lance Madonna net three goals and one assist, with Gavin Houghtaling getting two goals and two assists. Jackson Palumb and Mike Kavanagh also scored twice, with Nolan Palmer adding a goal.
To hang on, J-D needed to overcome a quiet day from Connor Durkin, who was held to a single goal. Will Davis and Matt Kemmis each had three goals, Davis adding three assists as Johnny Keib had a goal and two assists. Tyler Brang, Pat Murad and Brendan Coyle also found the net.
Bad weather hit on the weekend, forcing J-D’s highly-anticipated game against Victor to get moved back to May 13 at 5 p.m.
J-D beat Auburn 22-9 last Tuesday night at Holland Stadium, the second time this season the Rams had handled the Maroons, though in this instance it took a 9-1 third-quarter surge to break things open.
Davis and Matt Kemmis each scored four times, Davis adding three assists. Brang and Coyle had three goals apiece, Durkin adding two goals and five assists.
Nick Kemmis also found the net twice as Pat Murad got a goal and three assists. Johnny Keib had one goal and two assists, while Tanner Burns and Matt Bradford also converted.
Meanwhile, state Class C no. 6-ranked Christian Brothers Academy unloaded last Tuesday on visiting Chittenango, scoring 20 unanswered goals in the first half and bashing the Bears 26-4.
And the Brothers pulled this off without anyone getting more than three goals, which Wyatt Auyer did. Ryan Mackenzie had two goals and four assists, while Josh Hulslander had two goal and three assists.
Mackenzie and Huslander were two of nine CBA players to score twice, with Donovan Watson, Brent Savage, Xie Shahin, Colin Kelly, Preston Taylor, Joey Matheson and Coiln Paciga also in this category, Paciga adding two assists. Cole Mathews and Dan Anderson had one goal and one assist, with Brackton Bowler, Sam Bonacci and Matt Buck also converting.
