Perhaps the golf teams at Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool did not mind that the attention would be elsewhere when the Section III Class AA championship tournament teed off Wednesday at Radisson.
Neither the Northsars nor Warriors had stood atop the regular-season standings, like Fayetteville-Manlius Green and Baldwinsville did, nor were they the defending champions, like West Genesee was.
Still, there was reason to think both could factor in the team and individual outcomes. C-NS Blue, in particular, had to feel confident after routing Liverpool 197-233 last Tuesday at Lakeshore Country Club.
Despite breezy conditions, Ryan Sisco and Jake Nardozza both shot 37 for the Northstars, with Darin Townsend, Sean Lawler and Sam Thompson close behind, firing matching rounds of 41.
Liverpool did not have Spencer Baum in its lineup, so Dylan Husted led with a 40. Dante Cassella posted 43 as Connor Boland shot 48, Kyle Kirkby had a 49 and Kaeden Hackler had a 53.
In what could yet prove the Warriors’ farewell to Liverpool Country Club, it met F-M Green last Thursday afternoon and was close in this match, but could not keep up with the Hornets’ consistency in a 193-203 defeat.
Husted’s 37 was the low individual round, one better than F-M’s Velton Perry and Andrew Heyman. Baum got a 39, but three Hornets (Mike Millimaci, Adam Butch and Matt LaCombe) matched that effort, and Liverpool could not keep up, though Boland did shoot 41, with Cassella and Kirkby each posting 43.
C-NS Blue went to Camillus to face West Genesee on Thursday, and won a tense 195-198 match over the Wildcats, with Townsend, Alberici and Ethan Shallcross each shooting 44 and Pellegrino adding a 47.
