Scoring race, title droughts: 5 questions for last week of Section V boys lacrosse season
Section V boys lacrosse's regular season is nearing its end. Come May 17, teams will submit their portfolios and section tournament brackets will be determined.
With nearly a week remaining in the regular season, here are some questions left to be answered:
No. 1: Who will win Section V's goal scoring race?
With a 17-point and 25-assist lead over the runners-up, Palmyra-Macedon's Keagan Hoesterey likely has those statistical races locked up, with only a handful of games left.
The goals race is much tighter, with nine players having reached the 40-goal plateau.
Griffin Hilimire, Mynderse — 51
Tano Auriuso, Aquinas — 50
Jackson Dennie, Pal-Mac — 47
John Harding, McQuaid — 47
Cooper Moore, Irondequoit — 46
Grady Goodberlet, Honeoye Falls-Lima — 43
Sam Underhill, Newark — 43
Ethan Aust, Penfield — 42
Chase Perryman, Honeoye Falls-Lima — 40
Bookmark this: Section V boys lacrosse scores for 2024 season
Last year's race was similarly tight, when Victor senior Thomas Gravino, Aquinas' Auriuso and Brighton's James Holbrough all had 50-plus goals by the end of the regular season. Gravino, though, ultimately pulled away with 21 goals in six postseason games as the Blue Devils marched to a state championship appearance. He finished with 73 tallies, over a dozen more than Auriuso's final total (58).
Ultimately, this race will likely be decided by whoever's team plays the longest.
No. 2: Who will claim top seeds for upcoming Section V tournaments?
The competition in Class B and C appear to be two-horse races for No. 1 seeds in those respective postseason tournaments, according to current projections.
Class A features McQuaid (11-2) and Penfield (9-4), who pace above the rest. Victor (11-2) and Irondequoit (10-3) lead the charge in Class B (with 9-4 Canandaigua a tick behind). In Class C, Honeoye Falls-Lima (13-1) rests above undefeated Palmyra-Macedon (13-0).
Four teams are in the mix in Class A. McQuaid (11-2) paces the pack, while Fairport (7-5), Penfield (9-5), Pittsford (6-5) and Hilton (8-6) trail in sectional points.
Class D also appears jumbled, with five teams (Aquinas, Mynderse, Bloomfield/Honeoye, Penn Yan, Marcus Whitman) all in the mix for the top spot.
While the No. 1 seed doesn't guarantee a section title, it's been a strong indicator of which program will advance to the state tournament. Since 2003, Section V teams with the No. 1 seed entering sectionals have won their bracket 68% of the time. That said, that figure dips to only 54% since New York state bumped to four classifications in 2017.
No. 3: Can Palmyra-Macedon extend unbeaten streak?
Following McQuaid's loss to Irondequoit last week, Pal-Mac is now Section V's last perfect team at 13-0.
Pal-Mac has leaned on the aforementioned Hoesterey and Dennie on offense, while specialist Luke VanGorden is among Section V's leaders in faceoff wins. Of the Red Raiders' 13 wins, only two have been decided by five goals or less.
Two of the Red Raiders' final three opponents are Midlakes/Red Jacket and Gananda, two Class D teams that enter this week with 4-8 records. Pal-Mac's stiffest test to round out the regular season will likely come this Saturday when the team travels to Rome Free Academy (9-3), a Class A contender from Section III.
No. 4: Will Irondequoit end Section V title drought?
Irondequoit has 16 section championships and 29 title game appearances, both second-most in Section V history. That includes a stretch of six straight championship game appearances and four titles from 2007 to 2012.
Since then, the Eagles have endured a lull with only one championship game appearance -- a loss to Canandaigua in the 2022 Class B title game.
Is the 2024 team capable of returning the Section V brick to Irondequoit? The Eagles entered this week as the projected top seed in the Class B tournament, prior to Tuesday's loss to Victor. On Irondequoit's resume are OT wins over Class A clubs McQuaid (previously undefeated) and Penfield (currently 9-5).
Irondequoit has one of the top scorers with Cooper Moore (fifth in Section V with 46 tallies) and top faceoff specialists with Jonah Carrier (80% win percentage ranks second, 166 faceoff wins ranks third) in Section V. That's made for a dangerous combination so far this season.
No. 5: Speaking of title droughts, how will Section V fare against state competition?
Noting that COVID-19 forced cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 state tournaments, Section V has not won a NYSPHSAA title since Victor conquered Class B in 2019.
Victor has been Section V's lone champion since 2010, with four titles (2015-2017, 2019) during that span. Canandaigua (Class B in 2022), Fairport (Class A in 2019), Victor (Class B in 2023, 2018), Penn Yan (Class D in 2018, Class C in 2016) and Pittsford (Class A in 2017) have all been rendered runners-up in the last decade.
Based on the latest New York state rankings, Section V could face an uphill climb against the other sections’ best. Victor (sixth in Class B), Honeoye Falls-Lima (eighth in Class C) and Penn Yan (seventh in Class D) are the only Rochester-area teams to list in the top 10 of their respective classifications. McQuaid (17th in Class A), Canandaigua (17th in Class B), Irondequoit (18th in Class B), Pal-Mac (15th in Class C) and Aquinas (11th in Class D) were the other teams included.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Section V boys lacrosse: 5 questions for remainder of 2024 season
