ONONDAGA COUNTY – Aiden Long got the face-off, Anthony Cimino made the move to the net and fired it past Michael Bergan – and the Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse team celebrated as if it had won a championship.
On its third try this spring, the Northstars finally got the best of West Genesee, prevailing 12-11 in last Tuesday night’s overtime thriller at Bragman Stadium.
Close defeats to the Wildcats (by margins of 9-8 and 9-7) earlier this season had given C-NS a confidence it could get the best of the area’s most storied program, and for three quarters the Northstars had control, steadily building a 9-5 advantage.
Yet WG fought back, its comeback led by Braden McNeill, who got most of his four goals and three assists in a 6-2 charge that sent the game into OT.
Keeping its poise, the Northstars had Long claim the draw in the extra period, and the ball went to Cimino, who from his strong left side barreled toward the net and put home the game-winner.
That was Cimino’s third goal of the night, to go with four assists. Mason Ciciarelli had scored four times as Ian Leahey got two goals, with Mason Blakeman, Joe Green and Elijah Martin also finding the net. Each of Giovanni Heater’s 10 saves would prove important.
Before this, Baldwinsville would twice get the best of the Northstars in the regular-season homestretch, starting with a 15-7 defeat which took place May 27.
Held to two goals in the first quarter, C-NS then was blanked the rest of the half, with the Bees accumulating a 10-2 edge that it would sustain the rest of the way.
Blakeman did have a strong second half and earned three goals overall, plus an assist. Ciciarelli scored twice, with Cimino earning a goal and two assists. Elijah Martin also scored as, despite Giovanni Heater’s 11 saves, Luke Hoskin (four goals) and Keegan Lynch (two goals, three assists) paced B’ville.
The rematch two days later on that same C-NS turf had that same result, too, as C-NS got a bit closer, but still lost 13-7 largely due to a third quarter where it could not get on the board.
Prior to that, the game was tied 3-3 after one period and the Northstars only trailed 7-5 at the break. Cimino, with three goals and two assists, led the attack as Martin scored twice and single goals went to Ciciarelli and Blakeman.
Right after beating West Genesee, C-NS had a game with East Syracuse Minoa 24 hours later, and again it went to the wire -but this time the Northstars took a 13-12 defeat.
A wild second quarter with 13 total goals left C-NS in front 9-8 at the break. Then the Spartans went in front 11-10, only to have the Northstars fight back and pull even 12-12 as regulation time wound down.
But with 15.8 seconds left, Eric Callahan netted the game-winner for ESM, his third goal of the night. That was half Blakeman’s total as he got six goals but no other C-NS player had multiple tallies, Cimino earning a goal and four assists. Martin, Leahey, Nolan Firth, Reynolds Davis and Tyler Mazzoli had the other goals.
Liverpool had its own tough late-season slate that began May 27 against Fayetteville-Manlius, fresh off its big win over B’ville two nights earlier.
But the Hornets didn’t have a letdown, beating the Warriors 16-5 as Aaron Clouthier scored twice and Nick Toscano had one goal and one assist. F-M featured five goals from Ty Teelin and four goals from Pratt Reynolds.
F-M then topped Liverpool again 18-4 on Saturday, but the Warriors still would make the Section III Class A playoffs as the no. 5 seed and face no. 4 seed Syracuse Tuesday as C-NS, the no. 3 seed, took on no. 6 seed Rome Free Academy, both looking for spots in the semifinals against the top seeds, Baldwinsville and West Genesee.
