Next Up: NYS Championships
June 8, 2018 - The New York State Championships are up next on Saturday, June 8th at St. John Fisher College, here in Section Five. Admission is $8.00.
Penn Yan vs Pleasantville
The first game on Championship Day will feature the Class D teams at 10:00 AM.
Penn Yan scored eight of the last nine goals in their 10-7 win over Chenango Forks. The leading scorer for the Mustangs was Colton Smith, who finished with 1g-4a. Austin Blumbergs finished with 4g and was instrumental at the face-off to give the Mustangs possession through the second half. Overall, Penn Yan won 11 straight face-offs to finish the game.
This is the fourth trip to the finals for the Mustangs since 2001 when they last won the title.
Pleasantville is making their first trip to the finals after an impressive 20-7 semi-final win against Mattituck (Section 11) on Wednesday. Declan McDermott had 4g-2a for the Panthers. Brian Reda added 3g-5a. Pat Doherty added 3g-3a while James Daniele scored three times.
The Panthers are 20-1, having lost only to John Jay-Cross River on April 21st (13-10). They are a high scoring team, with only one game where they did not produce double digits. They have averaged 14 goals per game while allowing only 7.
West Genesee vs Ward Melville
The second game on Championship Day will feature the Class A teams at 12:30 PM.
The West Genesee Wildcats will be seeking their 16th NYS Championship but the bigger story is that the game will be the last game for Head Coach Mike Messere who announced his retirement at the end of last season.
The Wildcats (18-2) won their semi-final game their game against Lancaster (Section 6) 15-6 with Kevin Sheehan producing 1g-7a, Ryan Smith with 1g-3a and Jack Howes with 4g. Matt Grillo is a top face off specialist who won 16 of 20 against Nisky.
It is expected to be an exciting finish as Ward Melville, a top team who has won nine NYS championships are 20-1 after winning their semi-final game against Niskayuna with a score of 18-2. Senior attackman Matt Grillo lead scoring with 5g-1a and the Patriots led the face off effort with 17 of 23. Inside Lacrosse ranks Ward Melville the top team in the country.
The two teams have met six times in the finals and each team has won three times. With strong support for both teams and many Wildcat alumni coming to see the final chapter for Coach Messere, expect a big, and loud crowd for the Class A Championships.
Victor vs Garden City
The third game on Championship Day will feature the Class B teams at 3:00 PM.
Victor is looking for their fourth straight NYS Championship when they play Garden City (Section 8). Many Blue Devil players already have three rings and if Victor wins, they would tie the state record (with West Genesee).
The Blue Devils scored six unanswered goals in the opening quarter in their 18-3 win over East Syracuse Minoa to earn their trip to the finals. Eleven players made the offensive book and leading in points was Camden Hay with 4g-1a and Andrew Russell added 2g-2a. Senior goalie Chayse Ierlan had a 70% day with 7 saves in his 38 minutes in the cage.
Garden City (17-3) is also a premiere New York State team, having won six championships, the most recent in 2013. The Trojans won their ticket with a 14-4 win against John Hay-Cross River (Section 1) on Wedesday where Justin Coppola won the majority of face offs (12 of 17) for Garden City. Kyle Steinbach and Liam Curtin each had 3g for the Trojans.
Westhill vs Islip
The last game on Championship Day will feature the Class C teams at 5:30 PM.
Westhill (Section 3) had no trouble with West Seneca East, winning 17-3 in the semi-finals. It was the first Sectional title for the Warriors. Owen Matukas had 2g-4a and Luke McAnaney added 2g-3a for Westhill.
Islip also won their first Sectional title this year and won their trip with a 14-4 victory over Pelham Memorial on Wednesday. Jeff Atlas recorded two goals and six assists while Mike Bienkowski and Chris Giuliani each andthree goals for Islip.
