CENTRAL NEW YORK – In different circumstances and against different opposition, it’s quite possible the Cazenovia and Chittenango boys soccer teams make their way to a pair of Section III championship games this Saturday at East Syracuse Minoa.
But as no. 4 seeds ramming straight into powerful, top-seeded foes, the Lakers and Bears were both turned back, a couple of wins short of what they ultimately wanted.
Cazenovia’s task as the no. 4 seed in Class B was quite formidable in Tuesday’s sectional semifinal at Mexico – try, if it could, to contain and shut down top seed Westhill, who was no. 1 in the state rankings and a state Class A final four team a season ago.
And the Warriors proved too much, jumping well out in front early and not letting up until it had put away the Lakers by a score of 5-1.
Steady attacks led to a trio of unanswered goals in the first half. Trailing 3-0, Cazenovia would get a goal from Jaden Kaplan in the late stages assisted by Eli Royer, but Westhill still added to its margin.
Making eight saves, Jack Casey watched as Eric Holstein led the Warriors with two goals and one assist. Jackson Goodness, Tom MacLachlanand Mariusz Sobotka also converted, Westhill earning a sectional finals berth against Skaneateles.
Later that night, Chittenango, holding the no. 4 seed in Class A, found itself meeting its own top-seeded foe, New Hartford, and would not even get on the board in a 5-0 defeat to the Spartans at Phoenix.
This was an instance of New Hartford gradually imposing its will on the Bears, not doing so early since the margin was just 1-0 at halftime. Already, though, the Spartans’ defense had ably contained 34-goal scorer Gavin Karwoski.
A four-goal second-half settled matters, New Hartford seeing Soren Stevenson convert twice and two others, Ashton Giambrone and Noah Partenza, each get one goal and one assist.
Chittenango concluded a 13-3-2 campaign that restored a large part of the program’s former glory. Now Karwoski departs, as does goalie Logan Bronner and the likes of Landon Touchette, Seth Boulter, Ryan Thousand, Jackson Blaszkow and Jake Wagner, leaving lots of work next fall for the Bears’ returning cast.
Meanwhile, Cazenovia finishes 15-4 but having a strong senior class that includes Kaplan, Jack Coburn, Alex Coburn, Nat Gale, Finn Worthington, Francis Ryan, Braden Carnahan, Max Clancy and Basil Sayre graduate, even if standouts like Casey, Royer and Alex Dolly return in 2025.
