CAMILLUS – On a sun-filled Saturday where Section III girls lacrosse teams completely dominated the slate of regional championship games at Mike Messere Field against a quartet of Section IV opponents, Cicero-North Syracuse and West Genesee were not going to get left out.
Joining Fulton (Class C) and South Jefferson (Class D) in earning state final four berths, the Northstars flattened Corning 25-1 and, right after that was done, the Wildcats, playing on its home turf, roared past Ithaca 17-3.
To say that C-NS was eager to enter the state tournament for the first time since 1997 understated it, especially since its 2021 sectional Class A champions never got that chance, the tournament canceled due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
So when it took the field against Corning, the Northstars proceeded to net 11 goals – in the first quarter, an average of nearly one goal per minute, as Gabby Putman registered many of her eventual total of 16 draw controls.
Though the Hawks got on the board in the second quarter, C-NS still stretched the margin to 15-1, and kept going in the second half, too, eventually seeing 15 different players put up a goal by game’s end.
Mackenzie Prentice dished out five assists to go with her two goals. Natalie Wilson scored four times, with Elizabeth Smith getting three goals and one assist.
Sophia Nesci got two goals and two assists. Brooke Molchanoff, Gabby Pauline and Ella Grotto also converted twice, with Putman, Marissa Doty, Mibaella Gates, Marissa Wessels, Kaelyn Reid, Sophia Graham and Ava Giannuzzi joining Putman with one goal apiece.
Having depended so much on its scoring depth all season, West Genesee utilized it again to subdue Ithaca and repeat its regional title from 2023.
The Wildcats put up the game’s first six goals before the Little Red got on the board, but even when it did, WG continued to attack and convert on a regular basis, eventually building an 11-2 halftime advantage.
As it continued to pull clear, three different Wildcats – Ashleigh Blanding, Molly Doran and Sophia Lawrence – would earn three-goal hat tricks, with the rest of the production spread around.
Lauren Petty stepped up with three assists to go with her lone goal. Claire Petty had one goal and one assist, joined in the goal-scoring column by Mia Gialto, Maddie Ryder, Keira Vrabel, Allison Kittell, Payton Jeffery and Ella Bement.
Now it’s back to the state final four for the Wildcats, who will face Section I’s Greeley in next Friday’s state semifinal at SUNY-Cortland at 3 p.m. Whoever wins gets Victor or West Islip a day later in the state title game.
That comes right after the state Class A semifinal at 1 p.m. where C-NS, seeking to add a third state crown to the ones it earned back in 1995 and 1996, meets Section I’s Suffern in its semifinal, with the winner going to Saturday’s final against Massapequa or Fairport.
