Whatever else it may move on to the rest of this spring, the West Genesee boys lacrosse team already knows that it has passed one of its most rigorous examinations. Once up by five goals in last Thursday night’s home game against Corcoran, the Wildcats saw that entire lead vanish, only to make the right plays down the stretch to earn a 10-9 victory over the Cougars. Corcoran arrived in Camillus with a 7-1 record, its only loss coming to Liverpool April 9 in a game where many of its starters, including star juniors James and Edmund Cathers, were suspended for disciplinary reasons. Even with them around, though, it hardly seemed to matter in the first quarter, where Mike McCabe and Ike Hopper took over. Four different times in the game’s first 5:19, McCabe got himself open in front just long enough to take a pass from Hopper and fling it into the net, pushing the Wildcats to a quick 4-0 advantage. That would cool off, but WG still expanded its lead to 6-1 early in the second quarter, and with the way it plays defense, that margin appeared twice as large. But the Cougars did not back off. Instead, sparked by Dereck Eccles’ goal midway through the period, Corcoran started to win face-offs, force turnovers and produced four unanswered goals before Jim Marks converted late in the half, making it 7-5 at the break. Now Corcoran’s defense began to shine, holding WG without a goal for more than 17 minutes, giving the visitors all kinds of time to make a big move as both teams got physical, forcing each other into more turnovers. Yet all the Cougars could do in this long sequence was tie it, 7-7, on Anthony Jones’ goal late in the third quarter. During this time, Steve Mahle got many of his 17 saves, assuring that Corcoran would not go in front. They exchanged goals in the final period — John Glesener breaking his team’s drought with 8:56 left, James Cathers answering with 6:31 to play despite great pressure from defender Jack Conboy. It was Cathers’ third goals of the night, to go with two assists. Staying patient and never panicking, WG reclaimed the lead when Marks broke in from the right side and flung it past Corcoran goalie Ben Crenshaw with 3:19 to play. A minute later, Hopper converted off a feed from Jordan Rogers to make it 10-8. That would be needed, too, for the Cougars pulled back within one on Cathers’ fourth goal with 14.1 seconds left before Marks pulled in the ensuing faceoff to seal a hard-earned victory. Rogers and Dylan Donahue joined Hopper and Glesener in the one-goal column as Marks scored twice. In defeat, Corcoran’s Dalton Powless had two goals and three assists, but Edmund Cathers was held scoreless and James Eccles only got one goal. Crenshaw finished with 13 saves. As a warm-up for Corcoran, the Wildcats went to Sunnycrest Field last Tuesday and toyed with Henninger in a 15-1 romp over the Black Knights. It was already 7-0 by the end of the first quarter and 11-0 at halftime, so head coach Mike Messere used lots of players on the roster to keep everyone fresh for the bigger battle ahead. In all, 11 different players got goals. Rogers had two goals and three assists, with Glesener, Ryan McConnell and Jaron Davie joining him with two goals apiece. Hopper and Marks each had one goal and two assists as Ian Farley, Eric Mazzoni, Chris Murphy, McCabe and Evan Mazzoni also took turns scoring. WG would stay at home Tuesday night to face Oswego before a Friday trip to Nottingham.
Marcellus 14, CBA 13 (OT)
On a sizzling Saturday, Marcellus gave Christian Brothers Academy more hard luck, earning a 14-13 overtime victory over the Brothers. Only the Mustangs didn’t wait to rally, taking control in the second quarter with an offensive flurry that led to a 7-6 halftime edge. For the rest of regulation, neither side could sustain a long-term run. CBA caught up, 10-10, by the fourth quarter, and kept exchanging goals until overtime, when the Mustangs put home the game-winner. Matt McCaffer proved unstoppable on this day, setting a new career mark as he led the Mustangs with six goals and two assists. Josh Ginestro, Ken Kimpel, R.J. Linder and Tom Glose each scored twice to support McCaffer, with Will Nolan and Luke McNaney each getting two assists. Evan Hughes and Tim McNaney earned one assist apiece. In this busy afternoon, Roger Trombley worked hard in the net, recording 20 saves to turn back the Brothers. Cazenovia 11, Marcellus 6
Marcellus underwent a long mid-game drought in an 11-6 loss to Cazenovia.
In defeat, Nolan and Ginestro each scored twice, with Luke McNaney and McCaffer getting the other goals. Ginestro and McCaffer earned assists, too, as Sean Cannizzaro led Cazenovia with four goals and one assist. Ludden 14, Marcellus 10
At home Thursday to face Bishop Ludden, the Mustangs saw one bad stretch of play proved costly in a 14-10 loss to the Gaelic Knights. They played on fairly even terms in the first half and Marcellus only trailed 5-4. But it got away in the third quarter as Ludden poured in seven goals and pushed the Mustangs into a 12-5 deficit it could not fully escape. Nolan did have two goals and three assists, with McNaney earning a three-goal hat trick. McCaffer (two goals, one assist) and Hughes (one goals, two assists) were productive, too, while Ginestro and Kasey Mosher also scored. For Ludden, Sean Conners had six goals and one assist as Brad Kirch added two goals and four assists. Goalie Colin Lynch frustrated the Mustangs, too, as he earned 12 saves. Ludden 10, J-E 9
When the Bishop Ludden and Jordan-Elbridge boys lacrosse teams squared off on a hot Saturday afternoon, it marked the third time in five days that each of them had played. And while plenty of fatigue could be shown, the two sides also put on a terrific contest, not decided until the final seconds as the Gaelic Knights earned a 10-9 victory over the Eagles. Brad Kirch led the Gaelic Knights, scoring four times. Sean Connors had two goals and two assists, with Dave Pierce (two goals, one assist) and Sean Byrne (one goal, two assists) each landing three points. Colin Lynch had one goal and one assist. Each of Shawn Lynch’s 11 saves proved important. Jeff Guadagnolo led the J-E second-half rally, producing his own three-goal hat trick. Tyler Richardson scored twice, with Brian Murray, Cody Lewis, Abe Patrick and Zack Stevenson landing one goal apiece. Josh Livingston gained three assists as Dylan Johnson added one assist. CBA 14, Ludden 8
Ludden had to face “Holy War” rival Christian Brothers Academy last Tuesday night and fell to the Brothers 14-8. Conners, in defeat, had two goals and two assists. Sean Sobotka, Colin Lynch and Kirch added further balance with two goals apiece, while Brendan Hodgens added an assist. CBA featured Nate Frechette and Casey Lasda, each of whom had four goals and two assists. Skaneateles 9, J-E 2
J-E ran right into defending Class C champion Skaneateles last Tuesday and struggled on the offensive side in a 9-2 loss to the Lakers. Richardson and Murray managed goals, with Stevenson adding an assist. Kyle Baier led Skaneateles (no. 4 in the state Class C rankings) with three goals. LaFayette 15, J-E 3
The Eagles got overwhelmed in the first half of a 15-3 loss to LaFayette, the state’s no. 3-ranked Class C squad. During those 24 minutes, the Lancers rolled over J-E and built a 13-1 margin as Gehnew Printup gained five goals and three assists, while highly-touted sophomore Miles Thompson took on a supporting role and earned four assists. In the rare cases where J-E did get on the board, Devon McCarthy, Guadagnolo and Patrick took turns scoring. Smart finished with 12 saves.