Boys lacrosse: It’s a Section V sweep in state quarterfinals

Early and often, the Pittsford boys pretty much did as they wanted.

The Panthers had little resistance in beating Lancaster of Section VI, 13-4, in Saturday’s Class A state quarterfinal at St. John Fisher University.

Against the zone, the Panthers (18-2) moved the ball and found shooting space. Against the man-to-man, the Panthers dodged and created shooting space. The result was a dominating performance that saw them build a 10-0 halftime lead with a 32-2 advantage in shots.

And when Luke Fliss scored two goals in the first two minutes of the third quarter, the 12-0 lead kicked in the running clock.

“We were moving the ball well and we had lots of open guys,” Pittsford senior midfielder Jackson Green said.

Clearly overmatched, Lancaster (11-6) coach Chris Dickson  shifted the focus for his team to ending the season strong. Three goals in the final 7:38 helped but ultimately, this was Pittsford’s day.

“We struggled out of the gate,” said Dickson. “We opened in a zone but they moved the ball well and got our defense all spun around. But I like how we finished in the end.”

Pittsford coach Andrew Whipple obviously was pleased with the result. But even better was seeing the manner in which his team won.

“We played extremely unselfish lacrosse and really moved the ball well,” he said. “We’re peaking at just the right time … With all the three-sport athletes we have, it took us a while to get going (this season) but yeah, the confidence is there.”

Pittsford advances to Wednesday’s state semifinal round in Cortland.

Class B

Victor 17, Orchard Park 2

The Victor boys took what was given and Orchard Park gave a lot.

The Blue Devils scored 10 goals before the Quakers took five shots and rolled to a 17-2 win in Saturday’s Class B state quarterfinal at St. John Fisher University.

“We were well-prepared,” Victor senior attackman Pax Marshall said. “They were pressing out on us because we’re good at dodging. They were sliding early too, and our guys are good enough to know where to be when that happens.”

Six different players scored for Victor (18-2) in the first half. And when Jack Herendeen, Simon Kowal and Marshall scored to make it a 13-1 game with 8:36 left in the third quarter, it was a running clock for the rest of the game.

“They’re a solid team from top to bottom,” Orchard Park coach Larry Catalano said. “We knew it was going to be a heavy lift.”

Victor coach Dan Stone said he had to remind his offense early to stop watching the ball and keep the feet moving. And once that aspect kicked in, the Blue Devils were hard to stop. Especially with the way brothers Sam and J.T. Ricci dominated on faceoffs (a combined 16-for-22) and the work of the defense.

“They were moving their feet and were in good position,” he said. “No one was trying to overplay, they were in control of their sticks and they communicated well.”

Victor advances to Wednesday’s Class B state semifinals. Orchard Park finishes 16-4.

Class C

Honeoye Falls-Lima 11, Lake Shore/ Silver Creek 7

It wasn’t quite the cruise that Section V enjoyed in the first two games on Saturday.

But it’ll do.

Riding the masterful work of junior faceoff ace Drew Angelo, the Honeoye Falls-Lima boys used a third-quarter power surge to take the lead and hold on for a tight win in Saturday’s Class C boys state quarterfinal at St. John Fisher University.

The Cougars (15-4) trailed 4-3 at the half but quickly equalized with an Angelo goal, then took the lead with Chase Perryman’s goal 76 second later. It was a 7-6 lead heading into the fourth when Quinn Kalibourne, Grady Goodberlet, Perryman and Goodberlet again pushed the lead to 11-6.

HF-L had plenty of room to operate considering the high pressure brought by Lake Shore/Silver Creek (18-2) because it needed the ball. But the risk with that scheme is all the room it leaves behind the defense for an opponent to work with on offense and the Cougars knew it.

“When other teams press like that, we feel like we’re in the driver’s seat,” HF-L coach Eric Goodberlet said.

And from there, the Cougars focused on protecting the ball because when Angelo wins 17 of 21 faceoffs, they knew the possession odds favored them.

“We have 20 guys on our roster,” coach Eric Goodberlet said. “We can’t running our guys into the ground.”

Lake Shore/Silver Creek coach Adrian John knew what needed to happen for his team but it’s easier said than done.

“Possessions,” he said. “We’ve been fighting that all season long and we’ve tried different strategies. It’s just all about possession.”

All that work in the restraining box isn’t as easy as it looks, said Perryman, who finished with three goals.

“It can be fun to do but if you look at my arms, it’s not the most fun,” he said of the welts from stick checks.

HF-L advances to Wednesday’s Class C state semifinals in Cortland.

Class D

Penn Yan 8, East Aurora 4

The first words out of coach Brian Hobart’s mouth was how “weird” this Class D quarterfinal was.

“We’re up 2-0 early then we don’t score for what, 20 minutes? Then we come out in the third quarter and pop six on them.”

That “six” was the 6-1 run by the Mustangs that turned a 2-2 game at halftime into an 8-3 lead. Carter Earl and Caden Dixon each scored two goals in that quarter and Braden Fingar and Tukker Fisher each scored once while the Penn Yan defense did what Hobart expected.

“We knew couls limit them,” he said. “Our matchups were good.”

As for the offense, it was just a matter of collecting itself.

“We didn’t change anything,” said Hobart. “We ran the same stuff but they’re kids. It’s a confidence thing.”

Penn Yan (13-7) advances to Wednesday’s state semifinals in Cortland. East Aurora ends its season with a 14-5 record.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Boys lacrosse: It’s a Section V sweep in state quarterfinals