CENTRAL NEW YORK – A single kick, at a single time, can bring an entire season full of accomplishment crashing down.
All through the Section III Class A boys soccer playoffs, Westhill has confronted this reality head-on, twice getting pushed into overtime and once extended all the way to penalty kicks just to reach the championship game.
The tension had started back on Oct. 20, when Whitesboro showed up at Westhill in a rain-drenched quarterfinal round and kept it scoreless until Owen Etoll’s overtime goal provided a 1-0 escape.
Even that was tame compared to what happened Tuesday night in the sectional semifinal at Christian Brothers Academy’s Alibrandi Stadium, where no. 4 seed Jamesville-DeWitt was waiting.
Again, the 80 minutes of regulation went without a resolution or a goal, and this was despite the Warriors spending large portions of the game parked in the Red Rams’ end, all of its efforts to go in front proving futile.
That continued into the 20 minutes of overtime. A golden goal was within reach, but again Westhill was stymied, J-D goalile Adam Rigdon working his total to 17 saves in a valiant and superb effort.
So it went to penalty kicks, five on each side. But five rounds were not enough as the Warriors and Rams each missed once, conversions going to Etoll, Jackson Goodness, Tim Cowin and Luke
Infanti.
In the sixth round, Charlie DeMore made his biggest stop of the season, and when Benji McPeak found the net, Westhill made it to Saturday’s title game at Fulton, facing a New Hartford side that edged South Jefferson 1-0 in the other semifinal.
By moving up to Class A, Westhill left behind Class B, ruled in recent years by Skaneateles on its way to three consecutive state championships.
When it prevailed in 2022, the Lakers had to get past rival Marcellus in the sectional title game played at Phoenix – which is exactly where the two would clash again Monday with the same stakes.
Holding the top seed, Skaneateles dominated Wednesday’s semifinal at Fulton against no. 4 seed Clinton, tearing its way to a 4-0 advantage by halftime on the way to a 6-1 victory.
David Petercsak picked a good time for his first hat trick of the season, the three goals sparking an attack where Heschel Eidel, Sam Ryan and Cody Crane also found the net.
Crane, a late-season call-up, picked up an assist, as did Ryan. Andrew Petercsak, Max Cerimeli, Devon Gryzlo and Sean Kerwick also found the assist column.
The second semifinal had Marcellus, the no. 2 seed, battling no. 3 seed Lowville and, anchored by a tremendous defensive performance, prevailed by a 2-0 margin.
Lowville never was able to produce much against Jake LeFever, Jeff Lantry, Owen Alexander, Rajeh Makhlouf and the rest of the Mustangs’ back line, who limited the Red Raiders to four shots, all stopped by Ryan Stephens.
On the other end, Andrew McCaffrey’s cross turned into a go-ahead goal in the first half when goalie Isaiah Spencer misread what appeared to be a pass. Then Austin Raicht converted in the second half,. His shot glancing off a Lowville defender.
