For the second time in five years, the Westhill boys lacrosse team reached the brink of a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C championship, only to be turned back at that ultimate hurdle.
It was Manhasset, playing close to home at Long Island’s Hofstra University, that denied the Warriors, prevailing 13-5 in last Saturday’s state title game, bringing an end to what amounted to a two-year quest.
When Westhill played in Class D in 2021 and earned the Section III title, it had no chance to go further because NYSPHSAA again pulled the plug on the state tournament amid lingering COVID-19 concerns.
But in 2022, the restrictions were gone and Westhill, up in Class C, did not waste the opportunity, peaking with last Wednesday’s 11-3 victory over Lake Shore in the state semifinal at SUNY-Cortland.
To that point in the state tournament, Westhill had endured three weather delays and a halftime deficit before beating Maine-Endwell, then had an easier time of it rolling past Ogdensburg in the regional final.
Now Lake Shore, a Section VI school located a half-hour south of Buffalo, traveled east to challenge the Warriors, and found some brief success with a pair of early goals.
However, Westhill got going on offense with early goals from Luke Gilmartin and Kyle MacCaull, and took the lead for good late in the first quarter when Rosenberger converted for the first time.
During the second period, the Warriors’ defense, led by Jon Gratien, Bohdan Centore and Rodney Kirkby, shut down whatever the Eagles tried to establish, protecting sophomore goalie Owen Mahar.
Thus, Westhill could be patient on the other end, only getting goals from Gilmartin and Kyle Rosenberger as its margin grew to 5-2 by halftime.
Emmet Starowicz got the Warriors going in the third quarter, assisting twice to help Gilmartin and Rosenberger each complete their hat tricks. And after Lake Shore broke a long scoreless drought, Gilmartin converted for the fourth time just before the period ended.
Up 8-3 going to the fourth quarter, the Warriors made sure Lake Shore never climbed back in it. Gilmartin tacked on a fifth goal, Rosenberger found the net for the fourth time and MacCaull added his second goal.
Three days later at Hofstra, Westhill took aim at Manhasset, the state’s top-ranked team who handled Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 16-5 in the other semifinal, and would find out, just like it did in 2018 against Islip, just how difficult it is to climb all the way to the top.
Throughout the first quarter, the Warriors were in a defensive mode, unable to do much as Manhasset steadily built a 4-0 advantage. Not until the second period did Rosenberger’s goal get Westhill on the board.
A second goal from Rosenberger, plus one from Owen Etoll, at least allowed the Warriors to play on even terms the rest of the half, though it still found itself trailing 7-3 at the break.
Manhasset stretched the margin further in the third period, and though Rosenberger scored a third time, that would be Westhill’s last tally of the night.
Once it converted twice in the final period to stretch out its 10-4 margin, Manhasset breezed the rest of the way, only allowing a late goal from Gilmartin and preventing the Warriors from joining Baldwinsville (who beat Northport earlier that day) as a first-time state champion.
