ONONDAGA COUNTY – What a full regular season has shown is that, for all of its flaws, the Liverpool boys lacrosse team is in the best position to unseat the reigning Section III and state Class A champions from Baldwinsville.
Maybe the best thing Liverpool has going is all kinds of experience in tight contests. No less than five of its last six games were decided by a single goal, and LHS managed to win three of them.
And that included last Tuesday night’s 10-9 decision over Jamesville-DeWitt, where it moved out in front by outscoring the Red Rams 3-1 in the second quarter after the opening period ended 2-2.
They stayed on relatively even terms the rest of the way, J-D inching within one in the late going, but Liverpool surviving helped by 13 saves from Owen Salanger, two more than Rams counterpart Ian McIntyre.
Carrying most of the attack, Dom Osbeck scored four times and Aaron Clouthier got three goals plus a pair of assists. Owen Michaud and Joe Sacco each had a goal and two assists as Braden Seymour also found the net.
As Liverpool closed its regular season at 11-5, Cicero-North Syracuse continued its slide, unable to do much in the second half against visiting West Genesee last Wednesday as it lost, 9-3, to the Wildcats.
From a defensive standpoint, C-NS had a strong first half, limiting WG to three goals but only finding the net once. As long as it could prevent a sustained scoring burst, the Northstars had a chance, but the Wildcats would add to its margin late led by Nolan Bellotti’s three-goal hat trick.
Elijah Martin had a part in each fo C-NS’s scoring plays, converting twice and assisting on Ian Leahey’s goal. Everything else got turned back, Wildcats goalie Shane Staudt stopping nine of the 12 shots he faced.
Now, in Friday’s sectional Class A semifinal at Bragman Stadium, C-NS, the no. 3 seed, will try again to top a no. 2 seed Liverpool side it lost to twice in the regular season, the likely prize a sectional final May 31 against defending state champion Baldwinsville, who has its semifinal against Syracuse or Rome Free Academy.
