CENTRAL NEW YORK – What unites the Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse teams more than at any point in their histories is their joint desire to take down the reigning two-time state Class A champions from Baldwinsville.

The opportunity to do so in 2024 is a great one, with B’ville having to replace a strong senior class and both the Warriors and Northstars returning several key players.

While having to wait for their games with the Bees, there was plenty of action in the waning days of March, with C-NS getting underway last Tuesday with a strong 18-10 win at General Brown.

Showing that it might have significantly improved from last season’s 6-9 mark, the Northstars were relentless in its attack while working its way to an 11-5 halftime advantage.

And it kept going, with Donovan Chaney, Adrian Sweeney and Rocco Villano at the forefront. Chaney scored five times and added an assist as Sweeney got three assists to go with his four goals and Villano had three goals and two assists.

Otherwise, the production was spread around, Cy Liberman earning three assists and Tanner Long getting a goal and two assists as he, combined with Nick Capece and Emmit Porter, won 16 of the 25 face-offs they took.

Porter and Joe Malecki both got one goal and one assist, with Tyler Milewski and Luke Deinhart adding goals and Karsen Pritchard contributing an assist.

C-NS then made it two wins in as many games on Saturday afternoon against Section II’s Guilderland, prevailing 11-5 in large part because it jumped out to a 4-0 advantage on the Dutchmen by the end of the first quarter.

Eventually the margin grew to 9-3 by the final period, Chaney getting three goals and one assist as Long and Connor Bednarski both scored twice. Long added two assists, Liberman earning a goal and three assists. Single tallies also went to Villano, Sweeney and Quinn Empey.

After a week to rest, the Northstars faces Webster Schroeder this Saturday, just as Liverpool takes on Marcellus, who went to the state Class D finals a year ago.