CENTRAL NEW YORK – Bigger games are now in store for the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team after it tore through its season-opening stretch without suffering a setback.
When the Lakers faced Tully/Fabius-Pompey last Monday at Cazenovia College, it was playing for the fifth time in 10 days yet showed little fatigue in the course of defeating the Black Knights 14-7.
Far more important from Cazenovia’s perspective was that it was not as dependent on Brody Coleman, who had netted 24 goals in his first four games, including 10 against Chittenango a week earlier.
Not that Coleman was kept quiet – he still had three goals and three assists – but it was D.B. Falge who led the Lakers by scoring four times, and Forrest Ives matched Coleman’s three-goal output, adding an assist.
Jack Wright and James LaFever each converted twice, Wright tacking on two assists. Wyatt Hartley also had two assists.
After a couple of days to rest, Cazenovia would, on Friday, travel north to face Carthage, perhaps its toughest test yet, and only here did the Lakers take a blemish, falling to the Comets 10-8.
Coleman, Falge and Ives each put up a pair of goals, with Tucker Ives recording nine saves. Carthage went out in front and stayed there, though, as Carter Kempney and Josh Bigelow both finished with three goals.
Chittenango, for its part, overwhelmed Utica Proctor 20-0 last Monday for its first win of the season, paced by big games from Connor Meeks-Vaughn and Brendon Barnard.
Meeks-Vaughn scored eight times and got four assists, but Barnard topped him in points thanks to six goals and seven assists. Vince Lazzaro and Alex Moesch both got two goals and combined for five assists.
Jacob Owens dominated in the face-off circle, winning 17 of the 18 draws he took and picking up 14 ground balls as he and Ethan Robles both got one goal and one assist.
At Jordan-Elbridge a day later, the Bears won again, outscoring the Eagles 19-14 as Barnard had a double-digit point effort, amassing seven goals and three assists.
Lazzaro and Alex Moesch both scored three times, with Meeks-Vaughn getting two goals and two assists. Robles also converted twice, with Ryan Moesch and Tom Navin notching single goals.