Less than 20 seconds separated the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team from making just its second appearance in the state Class A championship game, and it all was falling into place.
Trailing by two late in Wednesday’s state Class A semifinal against Fairport (Section V) at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, the Bees had roared back and taken the lead, and a defense that had shut out the Red Raiders for the entire fourth just needed one more stop.
Instead of joy, though, B’ville found despair when Fairport tied it, and then prevailed 8-7 in overtime on Colin Peers’ goal 47 seconds into the extra period.
Going in, the Bees were quite aware of Fairport’s defensive prowess, having allowed just one goal in its previous six quarters on the way to sectional and regional titles, quite a contrast to B’ville netting 30 goals in its last two post-season games.
The pace, from the outset, was to the Red Raiders’ liking, with most of the first quarter quiet except for an exchange of goals in the middle – Austin Bolton converting for B’ville, Klay Stuver answering for Fairport less than a minute later.
Mike Tangredi’s goal with 8.5 seconds left in the period had the Bees in front 2-1, but it didn’t carry over into the second quarter, where Stuver scored twice more and Gavin Ingalls converted, too.
Only Braden McCard found the net in that period, and B’ville trailed, 4-3, at halftime, though Trangredi returned to score 2:38 into the third quarter for the game’s third tie.
That was the Bees’ last goal for more than 15 minutes. But while Stuver added two more goals and Fairport led 6-4 deep into the fourth quarter, it could not put the game away.
Just in time, B’ville’s explosive attack arrived in a two-minute stretch that nearly produced a victory.
McCard’s second goal with 6:18 left made it 6-5. Spencer Wirtheim, contained all day long, converted from the point with 5:01 to play and, a minute later, Tangredi found space and fired home the go-ahead goal.
With possession of the ball and under two minutes left, B’ville turned it over, giving Fairport another chance. And with 17 seconds left, Kole Herren put a shot past Dan Stehle, and it headed for overtime.
The all-important OT faceoff went to the Red Raiders, who quickly called timeout. As things set up, the Bees’ defense concentrated on Stuver, but Peers, on the right side, took a pass from Colin Ingalls and, from a tough angle, shot high and beat Stehle.
By that thin margin, the Bees were denied joining its 1992 predecessors as a state finalist, instead watching Fairport move on to face Massapequa in Saturday’s title game on that same St. John Fisher turf.
B’ville finished at 16-4, and will see a strong and accomplished senior class depart that includes Wirtheim, Bolton, Tangredi, Stehle, Caleb Voorhees, Adam Davis and Noah Ravas. McCard, Braden Lynch, Brendan Wilcox and Quinn Peters return in 2020.
