CENTRAL NEW YORK – A local rivalry flares up again in boys lacrosse Tuesday night when Cazenovia, attempting to climb above the .500 mark, would try and do so at the expense of Chittenango.
The Lakers would head into this game relatively refreshed, having played just once in 10 days following an April 27 defeat to LaFayette/Onondaga and proving quite successful.
Against Section IV’s Whitney Point last Wednesday night, Cazenovia put together, by far, its best offensive totals of the season on the way to an 18-6 victory and a 5-5 overall mark.
Leading the way, D.B. Falge scored five times and added three assists. Paul Mitchell, with four goals and three assists, nearly equaled Falge as Owen Porter set a new career mark by scoring four times.
Alex Kuper finished with two goals and one assist. Basil Sayre got three assists and Finn Hagan had two assists, while Jaden Kaplan, Eliot Comeau and Andy Franz had one goal apiece. Tucker Ives finished with seven saves.
Now the Lakers rested as its next opponent, Chittenango, would host Central Square last Thursday night in the longest game of the season so far in Section III.
Regulation time wasn’t enough to settle this game. Nor was one overtime, or two, or three, as it took until the fourth extra period before the Bears were able to end it and beat the Redhawks 9-8.
In this sense, it was good that Chittenango had not played since April 22 (a 14-7 loss to Oswego), because 10 days of rest and practice had steeled the Bears for what was about to happen.
Chittenango led 4-3 at the end of a close, tense first half. Then Central Square caught up, tying it 6-6 going to the fourth quarter, and the exchange continued through the rest of regulation.
They went into OT at 8-8, and there it stayed, through a trio of three-minute periods where neither side could win it, Bears goalie Connor Bradbury getting to 15 saves and Redhawks counterpart Landen Wilson running his total to 12 saves.
That it ended up on Brendon Barnard’s stick only figured. Barnard carried Chittenango’s attack, finishing with seven goals as the other two went to Henry Miller and Macksen Cliff. Evan Whewell (three goals) and Marcus Ludwig (two goals, two assists) paced Central Square.
After all this, the Bears faced Vernon-Verona-Sherrill on Saturday – and this also was a close affair, but again the Bears emerged triumphant, holding off the Red Devils 13-12 and improving to 4-4 overall.
Just two players accounted for all of Chittenango’s goals – Barnard and Peter Schulz. Another eight goals gave Barnard 15 for the week and 34 for the season as Schulz set a new career mark netting five goals and Bradbury, protecting the Bears’ lead in the late going, amassed 18 saves.
