CENTRAL NEW YORK – What area high school boys and girls lacrosse teams were finding in the early portion of the season was just how much work remained to be done, and how large of a gap stood between them and some of the top teams in Central New York.
Having split its first two games, the Cazenovia girls faced Homer last Tuesday at the Sean Googin Sports Complex and had real struggles in the early stages of a 15-4 defeat to the Trojans.
Homer jumped out 11-2 by halftime, led by Kloey Roos, who finished with six goals, and Camryn Calabro, who got four goals as Kat Sovocool had a goal and five asists.
The Lakers had four different goal-scorers – Lily Sorbello, Juila Ketcham, Carley Lounsbury and Ainsley Schug – with Sorbello and Megan Kuhn adding assists and Mackenzie Halliday recording eight saves.
Another big challenge awaited on Thursday night. Cazenovia was supposed to host Marcellus, but wet field conditions moved the game to the Mustangs’ home turf.
Once there, the Lakers lost, 16-5, unable to recover from Marcellus bolting out to a 9-1 advantage by halftime.
Riley Knapp did produce a three-goal hat trick in the late stages as Hadley Schug and Katie Rajkowski got the other goals. Sammy Sparks added an assist. For the Mustangs, three players – Anna Spitzer, Lucy Powell and Quinn Burnett – had three goals apiece to lead a balanced attack.
That same night, Cazenovia’s boys lacrosse team lost 9-5 to Marcellus, despite Brody Coleman’s two goals and two assists.
Gannon Houghton also scored twice for the Lakers as James LaFever netted the other goal. Adam Rayfield led the Mustangs, earning four goals and one assist.
The Chittenango boys team was 1-1 going into last Tuesday’s game against reigning state Class D champion LaFayette, who handled the Bears by a score of 19-7.
Potent from beginning to end, the Lancers got five goals from Nelson Jones and four goals from Jameson Bucktooth, to go with a pair of assists. Rioux Johnson, Arrow Booth, Kyler Protak and Bruce Benedict had two goals apiece.
Playing at Tully two nights later, Chittenango more than doubled its output, yet still it wasn’t enough to avoid a 19-13 defeat to the Black Knights, who were led by Will Hardy’s five goals and three assists and four-goal outings from Tom Berry and Lane Edinger, who also combined for seven assists.
In girls lacrosse, Chittenango/Bishop Grimes lost 14-6 to Tully on Thursday, not having any player score more than once.
Julia Graham did have two assists to go with her lone goal as Caitlyn Sgambellone, Tomi Newkirk, Skyler Brown, Ashley O’Hara and Brooke Walters also converted. For the Black Knights, Julia Deitz produced six goals and three assists.
This followed a 12-6 loss to LaFayette two nights earlier where O’Hara and Walters both scored twice, with Sgambellone and Newkirk getting the other goals. Kenssington Keane led the Lancers with three goals and one assist.
And the Bears’ struggles would linger into Saturday’s 13-4 loss to Whitesboro. Single goals by Sgambellone, Newkirk, Walters and Ashley O’Hara were all that Chittenango could manage as Abby Penfield recorded eight saves.
