ONONDAGA COUNTY – In recent years, the battle for boys lacrosse superiority in the Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division raged between Baldwinsville and Fayetteville-Manlius, even as the two sides ended up in separate classes for the post-season.

For now, that conflict is squarely in the Bees’ favor, as it demonstrated last Thursday night when it went to the Hornets’ home turf and, controlling matters from start to finish, won by a score of 16-8.

Due to heavy graduation losses from 2021, F-M has struggled to a 3-4 start, but B’ville didn’t take the assignment for granted, rolling to a 5-1 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

Try as the Hornets could, it was unable to make up ground and, instead, the Bees kept adding to that advantage, with Keegan Lynch anchoring the attack thanks to his two goals and five assists.

Ryan Hollenbeck and Carson Dyl both got three goals, Hollenbeck adding a pair of assists. Trey Ordway had two goals and one assist as Dylan Wirtheim also found the net twice.

Jacob Czyz, aside from his face-off work, got a goal and two assists, while Caden Cox, Ryan Quinn and Leo Johnson also picked up goals. Nick Cary and Mason Clark combined for five saves.

Back home two days later, B’ville faced Section V’s Webster Thomas and made its seven wins in a row, sweeping past the Titans 15-6 with a steady, consistent effort.

Outscoring Webster Thomas in every single quarter, the Bees led 7-3 by halftime and 11-4 after three periods, with Lynch again difficult to contain as he amassed four goals and five assists.

Dyl scored three times, adding an assist, while Ordway and Reese Gilmore notched two goals apiece. Hollenbeck had a goal and two assists as Czyz, Johnson and Jameson Gipe put in single goals. Cox and Anthony Menickeli earned assists.

Now a big week of games looms for B’ville as it would host Liverpool Tuesday with first place in the SCAC Metro division at stake before a Friday clash with Cicero-North Syracuase and a Saturday-afternoon showdown with Victor.