ONONDAGA COUNTY – Not that long ago, the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team would consider a game against West Genesee the main attraction, whatever was scheduled before or after it.

At least in the early portion of 2021, though, the Bees knew that its bigger test would come against Fayetteville-Manlius, to where it visited last Thursday night in an early-season clash of undefeated sides.

And that game more than lived up to its considerable expectations, even if, at the end of a painful 9-8 defeat to the Hornets, B’ville knew it had given away a great opportunity to take control of the league race.

A fine defense led by Jack Prossner, Tucker Macknik and Austin McClintic contained F-M in the early stages. And when Victor Ianno and Keegan Lynch scored in a 17-second span midway through the second quarter, the Bees seized a 3-2 advantage.

Yet even as it stayed out in front for a majority of the game, B’ville could not convert a series of man-up situations and, other times, was just unlucky with four shots clanging off posts.

Thus, despite four goals from Luke Hoskin, B’ville saw a 7-5 lead disappear late in the third quarter when F-M tied it on tallies from Anthony DaRin and T.J. Conley.

With 5:55 left, Trey Ordway put the Bees in front for the fifth time, 8-7, but again the Hornets answered, tying it on Ramson Reynolds’ goal less than two minutes later.

B’ville would get a chance to back in front with less than a minute left, but get stopped as F-M, with possession, twice called time-out, the latter of them with 9.9 seconds to play.

From the left side, Isaac Frechette sprinted past a Bees defender and passed it to DaRin, who one-timed a shot past Cooper Foote with 5.3 seconds left for the game-winner.

Tough as this defeat was to take, the Bees at least can take solace in the knowledge that it will face F-M twice more this season May 25 and June 1, each time on home turf at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.

B’ville indeed had faced West Genesee two nights earlier, but the drama in this game left early as the Bees, dominant in all phases of the game, handled the Wildcats 11-4.

Maybe it helped that WG was playing its fourth game in eight days, while the Bees were more rested. Still, B’ville steadily wore down the Wildcats’ defenses in the course of building an 8-1 halftime advantage.

Eight different players netted goals, with Luke Hoskin, Mike Marsallo and Trey Ordway each finding the net twice. Single goals went to Victor Ianno, Ryan Hollenbeck, Brayden Penafeather-Stevenson, Carson Dyl and Colin Socker, with Colin Doyle getting a pair of assists. Ianno, Keegan Lynch and Austin McClintic got single assists.

In this week’s action, B’ville would host Cicero-North Syracuse and Marcellus, with a trip to Liverpool in between.