MANLIUS – One side wanted to complete a championship run that had produced a national ranking. The other wanted to produce an historic upset.
Those were the stakes when Fayetteville-Manlius and East Syracuse Minoa squared off Saturday on the Hornets’ home turf with the Section III Class A championship on the line.
And like it had done so often this spring, F-M relied on its strong all-around game – dominance in the face-off circle, a potent attack and a consistent, solid defense – to outclass the Spartans, ultimately rolling to a 21-6 victory to claim yet another sectional title.
It figured that members of the Hornets’ 18-player group of seniors that waited through an idle 2020 season played a central role in closing out this 16-1 campaign, the lone blemish a loss to Jamesville-DeWitt, the sectional Class C champions.
Logan Wilkinson again worked the face-offs, and against ESM he claimed 25 of 29 draws, giving F-M all kinds of extra possessions, especially in a decisive second quarter.
ESM only trailed 5-4 after one period, but in the next 12 minutes the Hornets torched them for eight unanswered goals, all but settling matters.
Ultimately, it was a 12-0 run that covered the second and third quarters as Pratt Reynolds, with four goals, led the waya and Caden Yancey had three assists to go with his three goals.
Isaac Frechette had three goals and two assists, with Louis Cogliandro also scoring three times.Wilkinson and Connor Aspinall each got two goals as T.J. Conley and John Angelicola also converted.
In defeat, the Spartans got 16 saves from goalie Christian Moon, but only Gavin Houghtaling scored twice as single goals went to Evan deBerjeois, Eric Callahan, Matt Kenney and Zach Shufelt.
F-M had just inched into the top 25 of USA Lacrosse Magazine’s ranking of the top teams in the country, the only Section III school so honored.
The Hornets celebrated this by pounding no. 4 seed Auburn 16-4 in Thursday’s sectional Class B semifinal, with Yancey, in particular, ruining the Maroons’ plans.
Whether it was with four goals or dishing out six assists, Yancey proved unstoppable, and Auburn couldn’t key on him because Frechette was scoring five times.
Reynolds, F-M’s leading scorer in the regular season, managed a pair of goals despite constant attention. Aspinall also converted twice as Anthony DaRin, James Addonizio and Aden Pollock had one goal apiece. Ty Teelin contributed a pair of assists.
By contrast, ESM had to battle against a tough no. 3 seed from Watertown in its semifinal game, but did enough on both ends to hold off the Cyclones 9-7.
Up 5-3 at halftime, the Spartans doubled that margin in the third quarter, building an 8-4 advantage, yet still had to brace itself as Watertown charged late, led by Vince Lavarnway (three goals, one assist) and Gabe Lajoie, who had two goals and two assists.
Overcoming 20 saves by Cyclones goalie Evan Richardson, ESM saw Trey Jones score five times and add an assist as Jackson Palumb got two goals and two assists. Houghtaling had one goal and one assist as Nolan Palmer also scored. Assists went to Kenney and Grady Abreu as Moon recorded 12 saves before the Spartans’ title dreams ended at F-M.
