ONONDAGA COUNTY – For all they had gone through just to have a 2021 season, the pressure for the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool boys lacrosse teams was gone by the time the Section III Class A playoffs rolled around.
When they reached their respective semifinal games, the no. 3 seed Northstars and no. 4 seed Warriors weren’t expected to go any further.
What made it more difficult for C-NS was that its first-round game last Tuesday against Rome Free Academy was halted by dangerous weather when the Northstars were comfortably in front 10-0.
They finally finished a night later, the Northstars having won 18-1 as Mason Blakeman and Mason Ciciarelli led the way, with Blakeman getting five goals and one assist asnd Ciciarelli adding four goals and two assists.
Anthony Cimino piled up five assists to go with his lone tally. Tanner Long netted three goals, with single goals credited to John Carter and Nolan Firth as Joe Green, Ian Leahey and Rocco Albanese picked up single assists.
The prolonged game gave C-NS less than 24 hours to recuperate before traveling to Mike Messere Field to challenge West Genesee in the sectional semifinals.
Yet it almost didn’t matter. Trailing 6-4 at halftime, the Northstars played a terrific third quarter, doubling its output and taking an 8-7 lead.
Just as quickly, though, C-NS would cool off, shut down by a tough Wildcats defense while it surrendered a pair of goals that allowed WG to pull it out, 9-8, and return to the sectional final.
Liverpool did get in its whole game last Tuesday against no. 5 seed Syracuse, winning it 16-6 as Jackson Furr put up four goals and added an assist.
Owen Michaud and Joe Sacco both had three-goal hat tricks, Michaud adding a pair of assists as Aaron Clouthier got two goals and one assist. Dom Osbeck and Jalen Graham had the other goals.
But this brought Liverpool into the semifinals against a Baldwinsville side which had handily beaten them three times this spring by a combined 46-17 margin.
Through one quarter, the score was tied, 2-2, giving Warriors fans a brief reason to think it could pull off an upset. But the Bees outscored the Warriors 4-1 the rest of the half.
And during the last two periods, B’ville kept adding to its margin, ultimately prevailing 17-7 to set up a sectional final where it beat West Genesee 14-7 two days later as Liverpool finished its season at 3-13.
