ONONDAGA COUNTY – Those who attended Saturday’s Section III Class D boys lacrosse championship game were sure they would see a high-flying, high-scoring juggernaut.
They just had no idea that it would be Westhill, and not LaFayette, who would provide those constant sparks, the Warriors erupting for 14 first-half goals that proved too much to overcome.
By defeating the Lancers 20-13, Westhill not only claimed the sectional title, it ended the reign of a LaFayette side that had won the state Class D championship in 2019 and were convinced it would claim sectional honors again.
The thought was that, if Westhill was to repeat its late-season 11-8 win over the Lancers, it had to do so controlling the game’s tempo and not letting it turn into a shootout where skill would make the difference.
But throughout the first two periods, the Warriors found creases in the LaFayette defense and made it pay for every one of them, leading 8-3 through one and then extending that margin to 14-6 by halftime.
Though the Lancers made up some ground in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t nearly enough, Westhill getting a career-best performance from Will Delano, who piled up nine goals and added a pair of assists.
Luke Gilmartin wasn’t far behind, scoring five times and adding three assists, with James Schneider adding three goals and one assist. Brian Allen got three assists as he, along with Griffin Grooms and Emmet Starowicz, had single goals.
Owen Mahar, a freshman who took over in goal early this season for an injured Aidan Felter, made 12 saves as only Vern Cook scored more than twice for the Lancers, getting five goals.
Westhill got through its quarterfinal last Tuesday without much stress, hammering no. 8 seed Holland Patent 21-6 as Delano and Gilmartin each scored four times.
Kyle Rosenberger had three goals and four assists, with Grooms and Kyle Clayton each scoring twice. Single goals went to Schneider, Allen, Kyle MacCaull, Josh Gratien, JCharlie DeMore and Benji McPeak.
More importantly, the Warriors got a day of rest before its semifinal with no. 5 seed General Brown – something Sknaeateles, the no. 2 seed also vying for a sectional title, could not do.
Dangerous weather last Tuesday night pushed the Lakers’ sectional quarterfinal with no. 7 seed South Jefferson to Wednesday – and while the Lakers beat the Spartans 13-6, it gave them no time to rest.
A balanced attack worked against South Jefferson, Morrissey and Max Wamp each earning three goals and two assists as Brunelle had two goals and four assists. Ryan Willard added two goals and two assists.
Able to finish its game a day earlier, LaFayette defeated Marcellus 20-8 to end the Mustangs’ season as Nelson Jones and Jameson Butcktooth both had five goals and Vern Cook added four goals.
With a day of rest, the Lancers then went after Skaneateles, remembering that it had lost to them 14-11 just nine days earlier and bent on not letting this happen again.
Start to finish, the game belonged to LaFayette, who used its immense skill to get a 5-2 advantage through one quarter and, after things quieted down, put the game away with a third-quarter scoring surge.
Ultimately, the Lakers lost 17-6, with Brunelle and Sean Kerwick each scoring twice, Willard and Morrissey getting the other goals and Wamp getting two assists. Cook (three goals, four assists) and Rioux Johnson (two goals, five assists) led LaFayette’s winning effort.
Westhill, meanwhile, was ousting General Brown 16-9 in the other semifinal, seeing Delano and Gilmartin match the Lions by themselves as Delano had five goals and two assists and Gilmartin added four goals and two assists.
Schneider chimed in by scoring three times, with Grooms, Allen and Sean Rogers also finding the net. Mahar finished with seven saves, foreshadowing a bigger effort against LaFayette that helped bring home a championship for the Warriors.
