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EAGLE
SKANEATELES PRESS, APRIL 13, 2011
NEWSPAPERS
SPORTS
Do you have local sports news you want to share with the community? Contact Sports Editor Phil Blackwell 434-8889 ext. 348 pblackwell@eaglenewsonline.com
Boys tennis sweeps MPH, Westhill By Phil Blackwell Without dropping a single set, the Skaneateles boys tennis team got off to a rousing start in the OHSL Liberty division last Thursday afternoon and beat Manlius-Pebble Hill 5-0. Of the three singles matches, Will Bolton had the toughest time, working his way to a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Ryley Almond. Ethan Wilcox bolted past Jon Koss 6-0, 6-2, while Ryan Sayko handled Justin Oh 6-3, 6-1. Meanwhile, in doubles the matches went the same. Will Bersani and Matt Kallas got past Tristan Almond and Tyler Greco 6-4, 6-2, while Sasha Darovshikh and Katik Sharma topped Alex French-Lawyer and Ben Parks by those exact totals. Then the Lakers made it 2-0 on Friday afternoon, beating Westhill 5-0 in a contest where, three times, matches went to three sets. Every time, Skaneateles prevailed, starting with Bolton overcoming a rough start to beat Dan Chang 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. Bersani and Kallas topped Dan Haynes and Brian McMullen 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, while Darovshikh and Sharma had a 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 win over Nate Chapin and Jordan Frary. Elsewhere, Wilcox handled Cole Kelly 6-4, 6-3 and Sayko got past Lee Detota 6-1, 6-3. Skaneateles would visit Hannibal on Monday before a key match Thursday against CBA.
Boys track opens with meets By Phil Blackwell The Skaneateles boys track and field team got the jump on most of their peers by participating in the Homer April Fools Relays to open its 2011 season. Out of seven teams in the field on April 2, the Lakers managed to take fifth place with 52 points. Lansing, from Section IV, won with 99 points, edging the host Trojans (95 points) for the top spot. Only once did Skaneateles get a victory – in the pole vault, where three athletes combined for clearance of 28 feet, six inches better than Tully. In all, the Lakers had top-six finishes in 10 of the 15 events. It was third in the 4x100 relay (47.6 seconds) and fourth in the 4x800 (9:52.4), sprint medley relay (4:33.2) and long jump, with three combined leaps of 45 feet 7 inches. Skaneateles added a fifth (87 feet 2 ¾ inches) in the shot put. Then the Lakers went to Saturday’s Cicero-North Syracuse Relays, where it got 8.16 points, most of them from Taylor Weyneth (11 feet 6 inches) and Carson Schwab (10 feet) tying Ithaca for second place in the pole vault, Rush-Henrietta (23 feet) finishing on top. Tim Lewis stood out in the high jump, clearing 5 feet 10 inches to tie for third place among individuals, as he also helped Schwab, Weyneth and Max Weiss finish 10th in the 4x100 relay in 48.51 seconds. Sean Cooper was fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.10 seconds.
Lakers pull away from Phoenix By Phil Blackwell Determined to climb back to the top of the OHSL Liberty division, the Skaneateles baseball team might find that task easier in 2011. Part of it is that the Lakers bring back a solid core of players. Another part of it is that Bishop Ludden, undefeated in the league a year ago, got moved up to the OHSL Freedom division, removing one large obstacle. Still, the likes of two-time defending state Class B champion Westhill are around to conquer – but before Skaneateles could do that, it first had to face Phoenix in last Thursday’s season opener. And the Lakers handled it, beating the Firebirds 7-2 with some late offensive heroics. Single runs in the second and third innings produced a 2-2 tie. Skaneateles did not take the lead for good until it got another run in the fifth, but it really put things away with a four-run rally in the seventh inning. Pat Roberts had two hits, scored two runs and earned an RBI. Tom Jones and Conor Herr also drove in runs, with Brandon Barron scoring twice. Ryan Prochna pitched six solid innings to earn the win, surrendering just three hits while striking out seven as Roberts worked the final inning for the save.
Defense carries boys lacrosse past Cazenovia By Phil Blackwell
pblackwell@eaglenewsonline.com There was a fairly good reason why the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team mobbed sophomore goalie Ryan Higman after the final horn sounded in last Friday night’s 10-8 victory over visiting Cazenovia. For in this highly-anticipated battle of Laker teams favored to duel for Section III Class C honors this spring, it was Higman’s sharp work in the net, combined with a sturdy back line, that allowed Skaneateles to
finish in front. Going into 2011, the biggest question facing Skaneateles in its quest to repeat as sectional champions was how the defense would fare. With the likes of Kevin Rice, Paul O’Donnell, Mike Richards and Zach Brownlee working on the attack, there wouldn’t be a problem scoring goals. That was evident in Wednesday night’s season opener, a 23-10 win over Christian Brothers Academy at Alibrandi Stadium where Rice and O’Donnell both scored six times and the Lakers used 10 goals in the second
quarter to take charge. For the home opener, the challenge was much greater. Cazenovia had roared out to a 4-0 start and had scored 82 total goals in routs over CBA, Manlius-Pebble Hill, LaFayette and Jordan-Elbridge. Containing them appeared a tall order. And early in the first half, the two Laker sides did take part in a fastpaced exchange. It was 3-3 when, early in the second quarter, Rice, Richards and O’Donnell hit on consecutive goals to push Skaneateles ahead 6-3, See Lacrosse, page 14
Lakers celebrate successful season The Skaneateles varsity basketball team held a banquet April 5 at the Springside Inn to celebrate the 2010-11 season. The Lakers won the Class B regular season title with a record of 17-1. They advanced to the sectional final game, losing only to Westhill, the reigning state and sectional Class B champions.
PHOTOS BY BOB ATKINSON A retiring long-time basketball team bus driver and supporter, Bill receives congratulations from senior co-captain Kevin Rice in recognition for his service and dedication to the program. Varsity Coach Karl Norris presents retiring JV coach Mike Hogan with a basketball signed by all of his players.
Modified and new JV basketball coach Jim Ryan addresses the banquet.