Saturday Sports: Lacrosse postseason is the name of the game across the North Country

BALDWINSVILLE, New York (WWNY) – The Boys’ Section 3 Lacrosse Semifinals were on tap Saturday, with 4 Frontier League teams looking to punch their tickets to the championship game.

In Class B, Watertown met East Syracuse-Minoa in Baldwinsville.

In the 2nd, Watertown was down 5-4 when Nico Spaziani scored one of his 4 goals, tying the game.

With the score 6-5 ESM, Antonio Marznao takes the feed in front and goes behind the back: 6-all at the half.

Tied at 7 in the 3rd, Owen O’Donnell goes in all alone and beats the goalie to put the Cyclones on top 8-7.

Then it was Jack Converse going top shelf for the tally as Watertown ups its lead to 9-7.

Jack Rathbun fights his way through defenders and goes low for the goal: 10-7 Watertown.

The Cyclones don’t stop there as Kage Loftus charges in and splits the pipes: 11-7 Watertown.

In the 4th, Watertown was up 11-10 when Loftus scored his 3rd of the game: 12-10 Cyclones.

That’s your final as Watertown advances to the Class B title game to meet West Genesee on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Fayetteville Manlius.

In the Boys’ Class D Semifinals, General Brown met top seed Marcellus in Chittenango.

It was all Marcellus as Donavan Fraher goes top shelf, beating Luke Secreti.

Then it was Nick Rayfield with the spin move for 1 of his 5 goals on the day.

Chris Doshna dodges defenders and connects for 1 of his 4 goals in the contest.

Ryan Chamberlain answered for the Lions, but Marcellus was too much.

The Mustangs end the Lions season, beating General Brown 22-6.

In the Section 3 Class C Semifinals, Carthage battled top seed Jamesvilel Dewitt at Fayetteville Manlius.

It was all Red Rams in this one as Sam Brazell picks up the loose ball and tickles twine.

Then Alex Carolin takes the feed in front and finds the mark.

Grahm Kesselring beats the double team and rips yarn and then it was Brazell with a laser that’s too hot to handle.

The Comets with no answers in this one as they fall to Jamesville Dewitt 15-4.

On the softball diamond, Sackets Harbor met Stockbridge Valley in the Section 3 Class D Semifinals.

Natalie Gibbons took a no-hitter to the 7th inning and struck out 7.

Peyton Britton had the lone hit for the Patriots and Sackets Harbor would score once in the 6th and once in the 7th.

Sackets Harbor upsets Stockbridge Valley 2-1 and moves on to the Class D title game on Wednesday at Carrier Park at 5 p.m.

On Day 2 of the Section 10 Golf Championship at Tupper Lake, the two-day combined scores determine 9 qualifiers for the NYS tournament.

Canton’s Ryan Jones shot a 73 to climb to first at 152 followed by Massena’s Colin Patterson at 155, Tupper Lake’s Ashton Clark at 158, Potsdam’s Ian Van Wagner with 159, Salmon River’s Kahontiio Lazore with 160, Ogdensburg’s Ethan Bouchard at 160, Clifton-Fine’s Matthew Daniels at 161, Gouverneur’s Raine Rumble with 169, and Salmon River’s Carter Johnson with 170.

On the girls’ side, Gouverneur’s Caitlyn Storie and Canton’s Eliza Creurer are this year’s state qualifiers for Section X.  Eliza with a two-day total of 185 and Caitlyn 212.

Creurer received the Mary Lawrence Championship plaque from Section Coordinator Joey Reome.

Two Frontier League Girls’ Lacrosse teams will be in search of Section 3 titles on Tuesday night.

One of those is the Indian River Warriors, a team looking to go back to back with Fulton standing in the way of another trip to states.

The Warriors made it back-to-back appearances in the Section 3 Class C Championship game on Thursday, beating Frontier League rival Carthage 13-3 in the semifinals.

The win improved Indian River to 16-2 on the season with their only 2 losses coming to South Jeff in Frontier League play.

Having the chance to defend their Sectional title checks off one of the goals the Warriors had at the start of the season, but one that hasn’t been easy.

”It’s 10 times harder than it was last year. The target is on our back and the number one seed again. Carthage brought it today and we’ve got to know that every team we play is gonna give us their best,” said Indian River Girls’ Lacrosse Coach Victoria Fusco.

”It’s definitely a lot of pressure that gets put on us, but I think that we rise to the challenge every day and uplift each other,” said Breelynn LaLonde.

Indian River now meets Fulton on Tuesday at SUNY Cortland with a trip to states on the line and a chance to make it back-to-back Sectional lacrosse titles.

What will the Warriors have to do to come away with a win?

The players say sticking to the game plan that got them to this point in the season.

”Definitely outworking the other team. Keep putting our focus into every single thing we do. It’s all about your mental mind. If you think you can do it then you’ll definitely go far,” said Michaela Delles.

For the seven Indian River seniors that have been with the team the past several years and helped build it from a struggling program to one of the powers in Section 3 lacrosse, there’s a little more urgency to bring home back-to-back titles for the first time in the history of Indian River Girls’ Lacrosse.

”Oh, for sure. This is the last of it, you know. The last sport before I graduate. I really want to go out with a win, no regrets, and I just want to have fun,”

said Ravan Marsell.

It’s Indian River versus Fulton for the Girls’ Section 3 Class C Lacrosse Championship on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at SUNY Cortland.

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