The Section Five Championships are set and will be played over two nights at St. John Fisher College on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wednesday: Aquinas vs Penn Yan 5:00 PM

First up is the Class D game where sixth seeded Aquinas will face top seeded Penn Yan at 5:00.

Aquinas is currently 11-7 after defeating second seeded Gananda in the semi finals with a dramatic score of 16-7. 

The Little Irish has averaged 11.7 goals per game while allowing almost 9 against. Four players have scored over twenty points this year with junior attackman Eli Chalmers leading with 44g-30a. Senior midfielder Jonathan Parrinello has 41g-32a and Cameron Cecere, also a senior midfielder, has 29g-26a. Junior middie Sebastian Gimeli has won 268 draws (68%).

Aquinas won their first Sectional Championship in 2010 when they beat Penn Yan 16-9. They faced Penn Yan in the finals twice since. In 2015 Penn Yan won 12-2 and in 2016 the Mustangs won 9-7. In the five meetings since 2003, the Mustangs lead 5-1.

Penn Yan enters the tournament at 12-5. They average 9.1 goals per game while giving up and average of 5.0. Senior midfielder Austin Blumbergs leads the offense with 40g-20a along with junior middie Conner Fingar (36g-20a). Sophomore goalie Jeff Kinyoun had recorded 135 saves (62%) for the Mustangs.

Penn Yan has won twenty-two Section Five titles and the last time they lost was to Aquinas in 2010. The Mustangs certainly have experience and know how to win big games, but Aquinas is riding high and scoring lots of goals, so this could be a good game.

Wednesday: Thomas vs Victor 7:30 PM

In the 7:30 matchup second seeded Webster Thomas will play top seeded Victor for the Class B Championship.

Thomas is currently 16-2 with their two losses to Victor (10-9) and Schroeder (11-0). Two goals kept them from an undefeated season so the Titans will be looking forward to another shot at Victor. Thomas averages 13.2 goals per game while giving up 6.8.

Eight players have registered over 26 points. The leader, by far, is senior attackman Trevor Ford who has 49g-24a and was recently named a US Lacrosse All-American. Senior middie Matt Hill has 34g-7a and Nick Mabe has 23g-11. The Titans have won three Section Five Championships, the most recent in 2016 when they beat Canandaigua 16-10. Victor and Thomas have played twelve times since 2003 and each team has won six games. Victor has won the last five.

Victor has won the Section Five Championship for the last four years (plus two more in 2002 and 2003) and has won the New York State title the last three years. They enter the game at 17-1, with their lone loss to Loyola Academy which they lost 7-6. In the last four years they are 80-4. The Blue Devils have scored 212 goals (11.83 average) and have allowed 89 (4.94). 

The roster is full of player accomplishments. Six players have more than thirty points this year. Sophomore attackman Joey Pezzimenti is the point leader with 27g-28a. Camden Hay, also a sophomore attackman, leads in goal production with 39g-9a, while Alexander Mabbett, Sam Lambert, Mitchell Cain and Andrew Russell have combined for 145 points. Mabbett was recently named a US Lacrosse All-American. With 741 minutes in the goal this season, two-time All-American, Chayse Ierlan has 108 saves (59%). The Victor defense is very good at keeping the ball away from their goalie, but when it gets through, Ierlan steps up.

If the last meeting has meaning, this will be an exciting game with lots on the line. 

Check out the brackets