CENTRAL NEW YORK – In four different classes area high school boys soccer teams began their respective pursuits of Section III championships, whether from advantageous perches or something far different.
Only Jamesville-DeWitt was a top seed, holding that spot in Class A and defending it well in Thursday’s quarterfinal round as it beat no. 8 seed Cortland 3-0.
Emile Antoine made sure there wasn’t any doubt to this outcome, breaking the Red Rams out of a modest 1-0 halftime lead by helping out on a pair of second-half goals.
Ultimately, Antoine converted twice and also earned an assist on the other goal by Jisan Lamichhane. Bekzod Abdusattorv also earned an assist, overcoming 17 saves by Purple Tigers goalkeeper Liam Burns.
With the no. 2 seed in Class AA, East Syracuse Minoa also rolled through its quarterfinal Thursday night, taking out no. 7 seed Henninger in a 6-0 romp.
Not only did the Spartans build a 4-0 advantage by halftime, it did so with lots of depth and balance, with only Joel Alvarez scoring twice, his 30th and 31st goals of the season.
Arnes Osmanovic proved a spark with his season-best three assists as Brett Hockey, Jackson Tedesco, Joevanny Alvarez and Ahmed Mujezinovic also converted, with Nick Courcy contributing an assist. ESM meets no. 3 seed Central Square Wednesday in the sectional semifinal at Christian Brothers Academy’s Alibrandi Stadium.
Fayetteville-Manlius entered the sectional Class AAA playoffs as the no. 2 seed, able to pass its first test Friday when it beat no. 7 seed Rome Free Academy by a 5-0 margin.
Led by Tom Helmer’s pair of goals, the Hornets built a 2-0 advantage by halftime and more than doubled that margin late. Abdalla Elfituri had a goal and assist, with Esref Canli and Nikolas Morris converting and assists going to John Burns, Grant Webster, Keshav Gangireddy and Brad Mohammed.
In next Wednesday’s sectional Class AAA semifinal at Phoenix, F-M challenges no. 3 seed and defending champion Baldwinsville, who ousted CBA, the no. 6 seed, 5-1 in large part by bolting out to a 4-0 halftime lead, the Brothers’ lone goal coming in the second half as its season ended with a 6-9-2 record.
Moving to Class C, Manlius Pebble Hill held the no. 3 seed and legitimate championship aspirations of its own, and would play a pair of playoff home games to try and reach the semifinals.
The Trojans turned back no. 14 seed Stockbridge Valley/Morrisville-Eaton 4-1 in last Wednesday’s round of 16, getting away in the second half led by Sam Lurvey’s pair of goals. Andy Lurvey also scored, with assists going to Brody Cook, Dash Goode and Omari Swedi.
Two days later, MPH met no. 11 seed Sauquoit Valley in the quarterfinals and unloaded in a 6-1 victory, with Nick Lurvey and Andy Lurvey both scoring twice and Cook getting three assists. Sam Lurvey added two assists as Swedi and Eric Hu both got goals.
MPH will meet no. 2 seed Tully in Wednesday’s sectional semifinal, to be played at F-M after the first semifinal pits Bishop Ludden against Fabius-Pompey.
Bishop Grimes, despite its 3-11-2 regular season, went into the sectional Class C playoffs and, as the no. 16 seed, managed one playoff win when it routed no. 17 seed West Canada Valley 6-1 in the opening round.
Up 4-0 by halftime, the Cobras were led by Eddie Koroma, who scored twice and added an assist. Cooper Stewart had a goal and two assists, with Derek Charsky adding a goal and one assist and Dante Piraino also earning an assist.
However, this meant a round-of-16 match Thursday against top seed Bishop Ludden, whom it lost to 4-0 back on Sept. 20 and, this time, would prevail 5-0 to end Grimes’ season.
It was close for a while due to strong Cobras defense, but a 1-0 halftime margin quickly grew in the second half, the Gaelic Knights pulling clear led by Colden Sheen’s pair of goals and Jack Marvin’s goal and assist.
