Marcellus Girls Lacrosse
Head coach Zach Iancello, Katy Wangness, Anna Vetsch, Emma Hutchings, assistant coach Stephanie O’Rourke
West Genesee Basketball
West Genesee girls basketball, state Class A finalists: Kaitlyn Walker (left), Aleysha Castanon
Here are the top 10 topics for the April 20 edition of the Inside High School Sports Show.
1. Mid-April brought about the first boys lacrosse state rankings of the season. J-D’s terrific 7-0 start has put them at no. 3 in Class C behind Mount Sinai and Shoreham-Wading River, but the Red Rams are far from the only presence. CBA, new to the Class C ranks, checked in at no. 7, helped in no small part by a productive week where the Brothers defeated Jordan-Elbridge, Skaneateles and Bishop Timon, from Buffalo. And ESM, moved down from Class B, is no. 10 despite a lopsided defeat to J-D. In Class D, Marcellus is at no. 3 despite last week’s losses to Tully and Carthage, while General Brown and Skaneateles have also made their way to the top 10 in the early portion of the season.
2. It’s more difficult for large-school boys lacrosse teams to make a dent in the state rankings due to the quality of teams in places like Long Island. For example, Baldwinsville, the top-ranked local Class A side, is only at no. 14, hurt, no question, by two defeats to Victor and F-M, but the Bees avenged that defeat to the Hornets with a lopsided 16-5 win last Saturday as it may have emerged as the Class A favorite, with games in the next week against Liverpool, C-NS and West Genesee. F-M, now in Class B, started out at no. 5 in the state rankings, helped by its own 6-5 win over West Genesee last Thursday where it never trailed, and the 11-10 overtime win over B’ville the first time they met.
3. How impressive was the 6-0 start by the Baldwinsville girls lacrosse team? It put the Bees all the way up at no. 2 in the first state Class A rankings of the season, behind only Chaminade, and tops among NYSPHSAA teams. B’ville last week got a tough 11-10 win over F-M, but the Hornets turned around to top West Genesee two nights later, and F-M stood at no. 5 in the state Class B rankings at the start of a week that would conclude with a big game against Pittsford. Don’t forget, though, that Auburn is also in Class B and, at 6-1 entering this week, is no. 11 in the rankings, just ahead of Doug Rowe-coached Rome Free Academy at no. 12, whose lone defeat was a narrow 10-9 decision to Liverpool.
4. Just as in the past, Section III girls lacrosse teams fully occupy the small-school state rankings. In the first edition, Westhill, helped by an early win over West Genesee, was no. 3, with Skaneateles at no. 5 ahead of this week’s interesting battle with reigning state Class A champion CBA. Marcellus was at no. 6 despite losing to the same Shenendehowa team Westhill beat 17-1 a day earlier. and defending sectional champion South Jefferson at no. 7, with LaFayette, General Brown and Tully also state-ranked. Up in Class C, J-D, the reigning sectional champions, occupied the no. 4 spot, having built a three-game win streak after an overtime defeat to West Genesee. Carthage was at no. 18 with its 4-2 record.
5. In this week of the April school break, many area high school baseball teams escape the capricious weather here for a full week of games at venues like Myrtle Beach. That’s where C-NS and Liverpool went after combining to win all five of their games so far, the Warriors twice beating F-M. Meanwhile, Baldwinsville, getting started after reaching the state Class AA finals a year ago, were at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex. Among the Class A teams, J-D has started quite fast, winning four games last week. two of them over Syracuse City, while Whitesboro got a shutout of Camden before heading south and Jordan-Elbridge’s Zach Fabrize threw a no-hitter in last Friday’s win over Hannibal.
6. Just as with baseball, many area softball teams made the trek south to Myrtle Beach and other venues for spring-break games and warm weather. Before they left, though, they got in plenty of games due to reasonable April conditions in Central New York. J-D, the defending Class A sectional champions, opened with a tough 3-1 win over Auburn and has more games this week. Marcellus won big twice last week and has quite a slugger in Aubrey Fraher, who has a pair of home runs. Cazenovia could contend, too, having started 3-0 last week that included narrow wins over Chittenango and Phoenix. Of course, the powerhouses in Class AA (C-NS) and Class C (Sandy Creek) have rolled over opponents so far.
7. Perhaps Fowler High School will finally get their long-awaited stadium for football and soccer. Homeless for more than a decade after concerns about contamination well under the land, the school, now known as PSLA-Fowler, is pending approval for a $20 million project to get a turf field similar to the ones long established at the city’s other high schools – Henninger, Corcoran and Nottingham. But city common councilors are (again) raising concerns about the proposal and want it moved elsewhere, maybe to Burnet Park, where Fowler’s soccer team already plays. This is despite the fact that, of the $20 million the city would spend, all but $400,000, at the most, would get reimbursed by the state.
8. Even though it was really cold and windy in the middle of last week, there was a full complement of track and field meets. Rome Free Academy’s long girls win streak in the Tri-Valley League continued with an easy win over Oneida as C-NS swept both sides of a meet with F-M because the Northstars dominated the field events. Among OHSL Liberty divisions sides, Westhill and Cazenovia’s boys and girls are both off to 2-0 starts, while Liverpool won both sides of Chittenango’s Relays for Hope last Friday and Tully’s Brooke Rauber ran a 2:15.38 in the 800-meter run at the Black Knights’ girls invitational, Tully and Westhill also hosting meets during the otherwise quiet spring break.
9. And there was even some boys golf matches last week, New Hartford continuing to set the pace in the Tri-Valley League just as they have for years, opening last Friday with a win over Oneida. Marcellus is the favorites in the OHSL Liberty division, with Johnny Gruninger and Manlius-Pebble Hill expecting to have a big season, too. Most of the girls golf teams are waiting to start until after the school break, but one change this spring is all of the SCAC Empire division teams, having six-team matches six different times this season, and in the first of them J-D defeated Auburn and Oswego. Tennis teams are underway, too, and again CBA is off to a great start, led by the Vlassis brothers.
10. Yes, it’s already time to talk about the 2019 football schedule. And while Class AA is unchanged, everything else has altered, from Class A shrinking to six teams as J-D and Fulton will go the Developmental League route, joining PSLA Fowler, Oswego and Phoenix in foregoing a post-season, perhaps over concerns with smaller rosters. Skaneateles, after one year in Class B, moves back down to Class C, where it reverts into three divisions after having two divisions last fall. Class D has a single eight-team division, while the growth of eight-man football continues, this time with five teams in Class C and five teams occupying Class D, and far more statewide participation in eight-man, too.
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