Next Up: The East-West Championships (NYS Semi Finals)

June 1, 2015 - There are twelve teams that are still playing games but on Wednesday that number will drop to six when the New York State Tournaments continue with the semifinal rounds. At this point, the State is divided into the West and the East for the Wednesday games. In the West are the teams from Section V vs the teams from Section III. In the East, In Classes B and C the teams from Section I will take on the teams from Section VIII. In Class A it will be Section VIII vs Section II.

THE EAST

The first game will have Pleasantville from Section I against Cold Spring Harbor from Section VIII. The Pleasantville Panthers are 19-1, having only lost to St. Joseph-Trumbull (Connecticut). They defeated Bronxville in the Section I Championships and then Rondout Valley of Section IX, 17-3 in the NYS quarterfinals. The Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks are currently 17-1 with their only loss to Syosset early in the season. Since that game they have won sixteen in a row with fifteen in double digits and all scoring by opponents at less than nine goals. They beat Mineola for their Sectional crown and then took Babylon of Section XI in the NYS quarterfinals. They have one NYS Championship, earned in 2006. Game time: 3:30 at Middletown High School.

In the second game, the Class A teams will play. Niskayuna from Section II will play Syosset from Section VIII. The Niskayuna Silver Warriors are 19-2 with their only losses to Darien (Connecticut) and St. Anthony`s. They beat Shaker to win their Sectional Championship and then defeated Warwick Valley of Section IX in the out bracket and Mamaroneck of Section I in the quarterfinals. They have been to the NYS finals twice, but are looking for their first win. The Syosset Braves enter the game at 18-1 with their lone loss to Massapequa (in overtime). They made up for that loss when they beat Massapequa, 17-8, for the Sectional Championship. They then won the Long Island Championship with a 14-8 win over Smithtown East. They have been to finals once (2008) when they lost to West Genesee.

The Class B teams will play in the last game of the night. Yorktown from Section I will play Manhasset from Section VIII. The Yorktown Huskers enter the game at 16-4 with losses to Fox Lane (ot), Chaminade, Ward Melville and Darien (Connecticut). They beat John Jay-Cross River for the Sectional Championship and then Albany Academy in the quarterfinals. Yorktown has won the NYS Championship seven times, the latest, last year when they beat J-D by one goal. The Manhasset Indians are currently 15-5 with losses that include Cold Spring Harbor and Darien (Connecticut). They defeated Lynbrook for the Section VIII crown and Mount Sinai for the Long Island title. The have won four NYS title, the most recent in 2010.

THE WEST

The West semifinals will be played at St. John Fisher College as Section Five is the host team this year. The first game will be the Class C teams, withPenn Yan from Section V taking on Cazenovia once again. The Mustangs have played the Lakers for the last two years and have lost both times in close games. In 2013, the score was 8-7 and last year it was 8-6. Penn Yan is currently 15-4 having won their last six in a row. In that period they have outscored their opponents 94-24. Their losses this year have been to much larger schools. Cazenovia will enter the game at 19-2 with their losses to Jamesville-DeWitt (overtime) who will play in the Class B semifinals and to Fayetteville-Manlius in a one goal game (11-12). The Lakers have won two NYS Championships (2011 and 2013). Game time: 3:30.

The second game will be for the Class A teams. Pittsford will play West Genesee. The Panthers enter the game at 19-1, having only lost to Victor (in ot) who will be playing in the Class B semifinals. The Wildcats enter the contest at 17-2 having lost only to Cazenovia and Fayetteville-Manlius (in overtime). The teams have only played once (2012) in the last twelve years and the Wildcats on that game 9-6. West Genesee hold the record for the number of NYS Championships with 15 but it has been a while since the last one (2008). Game time: 5:30.

The last game is one that many lax-watchers have been waiting for. Victoris undefeated (20-0) with a high powered offense that has scored 307 while their defense has held opponents to 110. Jamesville-DeWitt will enter the game at 18-1 having lost only to West Genesee (in overtime). Like the Blue Devils, the Rams high scoring offense has produced 306 goals while keeping their opponents to 118. The two teams have only played once, in last year`s semifinals where the Rams won 17-13. J-D have won four NYS Championships, the most recent in 2011. Game time 8:00.

PREDICTIONS

No way. All three games should be good games with plenty of shooting and excellent defense.

TIMETABLE

The West games are at St. John Fisher College.
3:30 - Penn Yan vs Cazenovia
5:30 - Pittsford vs West Genesee
8:00 - Victor vs Jamesville-DeWitt
Admission (determined by NYSPHSAA) is $8.00

The NYS brackets are available for Class A, Class B and Class C.