CENTRAL NEW YORK- No matter who was there or who wasn’t there on the field contributing to the cause, the same sweet reality of another Section III championship made all the struggles worthwhile for the West Genesee boys lacrosse team.
Again the Wildcats turned back a worthy challenger in Wednesday’s sectional final at Fayetteville-Manlius Stadium, pulling away in the second half to beat no. 2 seed Watertown 16-7.
The roots of this title were planted in what the Wildcats had to do to adjust to plenty of unexpected adversity and attrition in the second half of the regular season.
True, there were plenty of big wins, as usual, but there was also defeats to Baldwinsvile and Jamesville-DeWitt in May and, worse yet, a trio of key players got hurt, WG knowing that, without them, a long post-season run was in serious doubt.
When the Wildcats returned from a week’s rest to face no. 4 seed Christian Brothers Academy in the May 25 sectional semifinal at Fayetteville-Manlius Stadium, two of those players were back, but one was not.
Charlie Lockwood and Nolan Bellotti had returned from injury, instantly bolstering the Wildcats’ attack, but now the team was without its great face-off specialist, Jonah Vormwold, who had won 236 of 325 draws this spring.
CBA would prove a lot tougher here than in a 15-5 decision in early April, but key scoring surges late in each half allowed the Wildcats to emerge with a 13-9 victory.
Solid on defense early, WG kept the Brothers off the board until the second quarter, during which time it built upon a 2-0 margin by netting six goals, nearly half its final total.
Though it trailed 8-2 at the break, CBA controlled the third quarter and got within two, 9-7, requiring the Wildcats to reignite its own attack in the late going to make sure it didn’t get more stressful.
Lockwood and Bellotti, though at far from full strength, both put up three goals and two assists. Chace Cogan scored twice and got three assists, with Nash Oudemool also recording a pair of goals. Single tallies went to Gary McLane, Jake McMahon and Jack Wenham, McLane adding three assists and Logan DeWaters one assist.
Now it was the sectional final, an annual occurrence for WG but not for Watertown, who was appearing in its first-ever title game.
The Cyclones had lost two games all season, and now was trying to avenge both of them, having already turned around a previous defeat to East Syracuse Minoa by knocking off the Spartans 12-10 in the other semifinal.
Remembering that Watertown played them close in an 11-7 decision earlier in May, WG tore out of the gate, leading 2-1 after one period and then putting up three consecutive goals from Oudemool, Bellotti and Lockwood.
Down 5-1, the Cyclones didn’t flinch, putting together a three-goal run of its own before halftime, then carrying it over to the early portion of the second half and forging a 6-6 tie.
Late in the third quarter, though, the duo of Bellotti and Lockwood really took over, sparking a run of five unanswered goals that not only gave WG an 11-6 lead, but demoralized the entire Watertown roster.
By the time they were done on the night, Bellotti and Lockwood had each put in five goals and tacked on two assists. Cogan and Oudemool both scored twice, Cogan adding two assists.
McMahon and McLane both got one goal and one assist. Jacob Pensabene also had an assist and goalie Owen Coleman stopped 12 of the 19 shots he faced. Meanwhile, the duo of Ashton Fassinger and Santino Sanford won a majority of face-offs, capably filling Vormwold’s valuable role.
In Saturday night’s regional final, WG faces Section IV champion Vestal on the Golden Bears’ own home field, the winner to go to SUNY-Cortland next Wednesday for a state semifinal against Victor or Niagara-Wheatfield.
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