CENTRAL NEW YORK – A season emphasized more on growth than greatness could still lead to something special if the Cazenovia field hockey team makes a run through the Section III Class C playoffs.

At least the Lakers go there with reasonable optimism, having gone 5-3 following a 1-6 start, with the sixth winning coming Thursday at Cato-Meridian.

Matching its season-high total for goals previously achieved Sept. 11 against Cortland, Cazenovia blanked the Blue Devils 6-0 and, in doing so, found a real force in Sidney Thompson.

Prior to this game, Thompson had only put up one goal all season. Here, though, she burned Cato for a three-goal hat trick and tacked on a pair of assists.

Benefiting from Thompson’s passes, Bridget Stromer-Galley scored twice, with Lorelei Bock getting the other goal and Ava Eno picking up an assist.

Challenged in Friday’s regular-season finale at Fayetteville-Manlius, the Lakers, without much time to recuperate from the Cato game, fell 4-0 to the Hornets.

All of the scoring came early, F-M jumping out 3-0 before the end of the first quarter and adding another goal before halftime as Carlye Bryant got two of those goals, the others going to Isa Crain and Francesca Burke. That it didn’t turn into more was thanks to the 14 saves put up by Cazenovia goalie Rae Western.