ONONDAGA COUNTY – While other games may end up with higher stakes this spring, no one may mean more to the West Genesee boys lacrosse team than last Tuesday night’s inspired effort against Baldwinsville at Mike Messere Field.
The Wildcats stunned the reigning state Class A champion Bees 9-8, going on top with a tremendous second quarter and, proving, as it did when it rallied past Fayetteville-Manlius on April 22, that it could play well down the stretch when challenged.
WG had lost by 8-4 and 9-2 margins when they met in 2022, but the theme in both games was that the Wildcats’ defense would not let the Bees run up the score on them.
So it was here again, the game evolving into the tense physical battle that key players on both sides knew well about, given that they had done the same battling for sectional honors in ice hockey during the winter.
It didn’t start that way, the Bees grabbing a 4-1 advantage, only to see WG dominate the second quarter, gaining possessions and shutting down B’ville while charging to a 5-4 advantage.
From there, the game went back and forth the entire second half, neither side able to get away. Yet it was the Wildcats gaining the late lead and, in the closing seconds, making one more defensive stop.
Balanced on offense, WG only had Jack Giannuzzi and Nolan Bellotti score twice, with other goals going to Liam Burns, Ryan Considine, Jake McMahon, Jack Mellen and Nash Oudemool, Burns and Considine each getting two assists.
Shane Staudt had 10 saves, three more than Bees counterpart Nick Cary. Leading the B’ville attack, Keegan Lynch and Garrett Sutton each had two goals and two assists.
Even more remarkable was that, two days later against another top opponent, Cicero-North Syracuse, WG played an entirely different game – and still rallied late to beat the Northstars 16-14.
Playing at a far quicker tempo than it did with B’ville, the Wildcats mostly kept up, yet still found itself trailing 11-10 through three quarters. But it made the adjustment and, over the last 12 minutes, doubled up C-NS 6-3 to pull it out.
Burns, with four goals and two assists, led the way as Belotti got three goals and one assist. Considine, Mellen and Giannuzzi each had two goals and two assists, with Oudemool, Teshale Kelly and Zach Ryan also finding the net.
Another wild affair took place on a wet and windy Saturday, WG thoroughly challenged by fellow Class B contender Watertown but doing just enough to outscore the Cyclones 16-15.
This game required Burns to amass six goals and three assists and Bellotti to net five goals. Considine scored twice and had three assists, with Mellen and Giannuzzi each getting one goal and one assist. Oudemool also found the net as Watertown was led by Nico Spaziani (four goals, four assists) and Jack Clough (four goals, one assist).
]While all this was going on, WG’s girls lacrosse team was meeting some turbulence as it passed the midway point of the regular season.
A 10-9 defeat to Liverpool on April 20 was followed last Tuesday by a 13-8 loss to Cicero-North Syracuse at Bragman Stadium, a game where only Molly Doran and Mia Gialto were able to score twice.
Ashleigh Blanding, Caraline Major, Olivia Blanding and Maria Snyder also earned goals, but no on the Wildcats could stop Northstars freshman Elizabeth Smith, who poured in six goals to overcome Allie Hanlon’s seven saves.
