CHITTENANGO – Though it has won Section III championships before, the Westhill boys lacrosse team has the right to think that a sectional Class D title in 2024 might match or eclipse all that has gone before.
Part of it is the struggles the Warriors had in the second half of the regular season, dropping five of seven games. But mostly it was due to the fact that it would have to go through both of its main rivals, each ranked in the state top five, and avenge regular-season losses to them in order to reach the top.
Half of that task was completed Saturday in the sectional Class D semifinal at Chittenango High School, where Westhill, the no. 3 seed, upended no. 2 seed Skaneateles in a tense 7-6 battle.
Even as it went through its late-season slump, the Warriors remembered that it had played the Lakers close on April 23 in an 11-9 loss, and would bring an even better defense to the playoff rematch.
Getting most of the face-offs in the first half, Westhill was able to control the game’s tempo, using long possessions to stretch out the Skaneateles defense and prevent its potent attack from getting much traction.
Led by Tom Pendergast, who would finish with four goals, the Warriors kept it going until it built a 5-2 halftime advantage, then traded goals through the third quarter.
Only in the final period did the Lakers start to assert itself, shutting out Westhill and, down 7-4, battling back within one, only to get denied a chance to take it to overtime by timely late Warriors stops.
Keller O’Hern made 12 saves, one more than Skaneateles goalie Luke Logan , while on the attack Owen Etoll, Charlie DeMore and Andrew Mondo each got one goal and one assist. Jack Hayes and Grady Etoll were also credited with assists.
Though well-balanced, the Lakers only had one player score twice, Landen Brunelle getting them as Sean Kerwick and Luke Mizro each got a goal and two assists. The other goals went to Jack Torrey and Charlie Carbonaro as a seven-game win streak was halted and Skaneateles finished at 13-5.
Great as this win was, Westhill understands that the sectional final this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Fayetteville-Manlius Stadium against top seed and defending champion Marcellus is even more of a challenge.
Not only have the Mustangs won 16 in a row, it’s not far removed from romping past the Warriors 19-8 on May 14, and its level of play remains elite, as shown in the other sectional semifinal when it drubbed no. 4 seed General Brown 22-6.
Marcellus tied a season mark for goals (it also had 22 against Jordan-Elbridge early in May) and took 36 shots to GB’s 11, with Nick Rayfield and Jimmy Cox each scoring five times as Chris Doshna got four goals and two assists.
Dieter Steigerwald had his first three-goal hat trick of the season, with Donavan Fraher getting two goals and one assist. Held to one goal, Adam Rayfield still managed four assists to run his season total to 45, Henry Lawrence and Cam Stojkovski adding goals and Damyn LeClair getting an assist.
