SPOrTS

In a season full of starts and stops and weather postponements, the Cazenovia and Chittenango boys tennis teams would confront one another again last Thursday afternoon.

And it would belong to the Lakers, who were perfect in singles and close to the same in doubles on the way to defeating the Bears 5-0.

Traian Cherciu, with his 6-0, 6-0 romp over Luke Dahlin, began a run where Garret Lounsbury would shut out Logan Bronner and Jake Wardell would do the same against Seth Boulter.

Pushed to a second-set tiebreaker in doubles, Andrew Falso and Gabe Reagan still beat Artie Paul and Jake Simmons 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) as Carter Ruddy and Cy Lurie handled Dylan Bassett and Kaiden George 6-2, 6-3.

Before this, both sides played well last Tuesday, Cazenovia dominating Onondaga/Westhill 5-0 as Chittenango nearly upended unbeaten Skaneateles before taking a 3-2 defeat.

Boulter won for the Bears in singles, topping Skaneateles’ James Lovier 6-4, 6-4, while Paul and Simmons got a 6-2, 6-2 win over Ethan Pickup an Nick Cerimeli.

However, Bronner and Micah Alperuto each lost their singles matches in two sets as Boulter and Dahlin battled hard, but fell to Hatcher Gutchess and Marcus McClanahan 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

As for Cazenovia, Cherciu’s 6-4, 6-0 win over OCS/Westhill’s Shay Smyth was as close as it got. Lounsbury handled Jon Massaro 6-3, 6-2, Wardell blanked Christian Loomis 6-0, 6-0 and the doubles teams of Reagan-Falso and Lurie Ruddy also had shutouts.

Then, facing Marcellus on Friday, Cazenovia was quite impressive, blanking the Mustangs 5-0 and preserving the shutout when Falso and Reagan,in three sets, rallied past Chris Barbaro and Tyler Szalach 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Lounsbury and Wardell both won 6-0, 6-0 singles matches over, respectively, Dan Fox and Tucker Guerina, with Cherciu beating Matt Vitale 6-2, 6-1 as Lurie and Ruddy handled Harry Hoey and Mike Deveraux 6-0, 6-1.

Chittenango defeated Pulaski 5-0 on Friday with Dahlin topping Garrett Starbird 6-3, 6-0 in singles ahead of Bronner blanking Austin Dufrane 6-0, 6-0 and Levi Mullin beating Myer Butler 6-0, 6-1. The doubles teams of Paul-Simmons and Bassett-Boulter did not lose a game between them, either.

Cazenovia girls golfers take trio of defeats

By PHIL BLaCkWELL

Four matches in a span of five days composed the busiest stretch of the regular season for the Cazenovia girls golf team.

It began last Monday amid wet conditions at the Links at Erie Village, where Grace Probe had the lowest round for the Lakers, yet it still lost 219-234 to Bishop Grimes.

Probe shot 44 for nine holes, four strokes ahead of the Cobras’ low round of 48 by Natalie Musolino, while Claire Marris tied Ashley Ince for third place with a 55.

However, four other Grimes players, including Althea Simmons (56) and Abby Docos (60), beat the third-best Cazenovia total of 67 from Lucy Hagan as Iris Casey had a 68 and Jordan Bradley a 71.

Against Manlius-Pebble Hill Wednesday at Cazenovia Country Club, the Lakers lost 235-256. Probe’s 56 and Marris shooting 62 trailed the Trojans’ Amitees Fazeli, who shot 45, and Parmees Fazeli, who had a 51. Bradley improved to a 69, equaling Molly Wilcox, with Casey and Hagan both posting 70.

Cazenovia took a 234-246 defeat to Skaneateles on Thursday at Skaneateles Country Club.

Chittenango matched up against Westhill last Tuesday and lost, 199272, to the Warriors at Camillus Golf Club.

Abby VanDee shot a 64 and Emma Stanek had a 68 ahead of 70s from Claire Kelso and Christian Terasevich as Catherine Dadey led Westhill with a 46. The Bears’ match with MPH on Friday ended 262-262, a rare tie where Ava Hohl shot 62 to lead Chittenango. VanDee shot 66 and Rory Beckwith shot 67 behind the 43 from Amitees Fazeli and 57 from Parmees Fazeli.

By PHIL BLaCkWELL

Going into May, the Chittenango softball team was on quite a roll, having netted double-digit runs in each of its previous four games. Now the Bears would go up against state Class B no. 22-ranked Jordan-Elbridge last Tuesday afternoon, and despite a furious comeback attempt, it lost, 7-5, to the Eagles.

They traded runs in the second inning, J-E scoring twice to go up 2-1, and in the third the Eagles struck for four runs, only to have Chittenango counter with a four-run rally of its own.

But J-E kept the Bears quiet the rest of the way and moved to

New Woodstock Regional Historical Society for the use of Heritage Park for a total of nine concerts in June, July, and August.

The board appointed the following members to a comprehensive plan review special board: Kyle Reger (town councilor), Robert Ridler (planning board), Michael Palmer (ZBA), Roger Cook (zoning & codes enforcement), Elizabeth Moran (former town supervisor), and Kristi Andersen (former town councilor).

The last Village & Town of Cazenovia Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the town board in June 2008.

The collaborative planning initiative involved the village and town planning boards, officials, business owners, and residents, with professional consultants tasked with guiding and managing the process. The process involved the development of a vision statement, identification of community values, establishment of community goals, and development of recommended action steps.

The newly formed special board will be charged with amending/updating the comprehensive plan for possible adoption by the town board.

The meeting was attended by multiple residents who are concerned about drainage issues on a section of Ridge Road.

Town Supervisor Bill Zupan invited all interested stakeholders to meet with the board and the town engineer on May 17 at 7 p.m. to ask questions and help develop a plan of action.

“We know we’ve got to take care of the water problem, because it’s a hazard and it’s in [a town road] and the town is responsible for fixing it,” Zupan said. “That’s what we know. What we’ve got to do is find out a way to fix the problems, to try to [alleviate] everybody’s fears about what is happening.”

Softball l Page 15

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Phil Blackwell | Sports Editor | 434-8889 ext. 348 | pblackwell@eaglenewsonline.com

Caz girls track routs Solvay, stays unbeaten

By kURt WHEELER

The Cazenovia girls track and field team remained undefeated as they overwhelmed OHSL Liberty league foe Solvay 132-8 and non-league opponent OnTech Charter 137-3 last Wednesday, winning 16 of the 17 events against the Bearcats and all 17 against OnTech.

Despite competing in a steady rain throughout the meet, the Lakers kept its focus and delivered a series of consistent performances to earn the wins.

Katie Whitney led the team on the track, posting victories in the 100 (13.3 seconds) and 200-meter dash (28.6) and anchoring the 4x100 to first place in 54.5 seconds.

Melanie Michael led off the 4x100 and earned two individual victories of her own as she captured the 100 meter hurdles in 17.8 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 1:15.3.

Grace Dolan was also a triple winner, capturing the 400 in 1:04.1 and contributing to the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relays, while Olivia Wong led the team’s effort in the distance events, prevailing in the 1,500 and the 3,000-meter runs. Faith Wheeler earned the Lakers final individual victory on the track with a 2:44 effort in the 800-meter run.

Claire Braaten, Nadia Segall, Zoey Gagne and Kate Millson teamed up for the victory in the 4x800 meter run while Olivia Ruddy, Meghan Mehlbaum and Millson joined Dolan for the 4x400 victory to ice a perfect 87-0 shutout of Solvay on the track. OnTech was able to earn second in the 100 meter dash to hold the Laker track advantage to 84-3 against them.

Corinne Albicker led the Lakers in the field events, earning two victories there to add to her winning leg on the 4x100 and her second place finish in the 100 hurdles. She won the long jump at 13 feet 8 inches despite the soggy runway and prevailed in the triple jump with a 29’2” effort.

Susie Pittman continued her success in the pole vault, winning at 7’6” with Wheeler one height back at 7 feet. Pittman also added a second in the high jump to back up Katie Pavelchak’s winning effort of 4’8”.

Karly Vaas led Cazenovia in the throws, winning the shot put with a 22’5” toss. Solvay’s lone win came in the discus as Emily Rolince was first at 72’9”,but the Lakers’ Danielle Smith (68’1 1/2”) and Skye Stanford (61’9”) quickly took second and third to minimize the advantage.

The Cazenovia girls achieved 35 season best performances despite the wet weather. Noteworthy bests included Bonnie Pittman’s 19.0 in the 100 hurdles for third place along with Nadia Segall (5:36.5) and Mary Williams (5:39.0) who placed second and third in the 1500.

Sophie Rheaume ran a career best of 14.1 in the 100 to earn third place while Meghan Mehlbaum scored in two new events (800, long jump) as she prepared for a potential postseason attempt in the fiveevent entathlon.

The 4-0 Lakers would visit Marcellus, the only other unbeaten squad in the OHSL Liberty Central Division Division, on Wednesday as the two teams vie for the regular season league title.

SPRINt StaNDOUt: Cazenovia girls track and field runner katie Whitney won both the 100 and 200-meter sprints, and helped the Lakers take the 4x100 relay, during last Wednesday’s sweep of Solvay and Syracuse Ontech Charter.

Cazenovia baseball shuts out Skaneateles, 4-0

By PHIL BLaCkWELL

Cazenovia girls lacrosse beats Tully, LaFayette

By PHIL BLaCkWELL

Caz boys lacrosse edged by Marcellus, Homer

By PHIL BLaCkWELL

Back-to-back defeats to Christian Brothers Academy and Phoenix at the end of April had set back the Cazenovia baseball team, but now it did something about it.

Capping a weekend where it won three times in a 24-hour span, Cazenovia pulled off a 4-0 shutout over reigning Section III Class B champion Skaneateles in last Saturday’s Laker clash at Dubik Field.

Cazenovia did catch Skaneatlees coming off an emotional eight-inning, 9-7 defeat to Westhill the day before, but it also had pitching ace Jack Byrnes on the mound and, again, he proved tough.

Though he gave up six hits and hit another batter, Byrnes constantly escaped trouble, recording seven strikeouts and pitching well with the lead his teammates gave him.

A run in the first inning, two runs in the second and another in the fifth proved enough, Jack Donlin getting a pair of hits and earning an RBI as Sully Clarke also drove in a run. Joey Awald and Taven Reilley joined Donlin and Byrnes in the run-scoring column.

Looking to avenge its April 4 loss to Homer last Tuesday, the Lakers could not do so, unable to contain the Trojans in a 12-3 defeat.

Cazenovia scored twice in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead, only to have Homer move in front for good with runs in every inning from the third onward.

For its part, the Lakers only had four hits as A.J. Rothfeld got credit for an RBI. Jack Byrnes pitched four innings and took the loss as the Trojans’ Tanner Douglass went four-for-five and drove in four runs.

Turning this around on Friday, Cazenovia swept a doubleheader from Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, winning both games in lopsided fashion.

The opening game went 14-3 over the Rebels, including a six-run third inning and five-run fourth inning. Jack Donlin not only pitched a complete game, he hit a home run as he, along with Rothfeld, Jacob Szalach and Jacob Grevelding, each scored twice.

In the second game, it went 12-2 in Cazenovia’s favor. Grevelding pitched and also had four RBIs, Szalach also driving in four runs as Rothfeld got two RBIs and scored three runs. Byrnes contributed three hits.

Chittenango returned to action last Tuesday against Hannibal and engaged in an exciting, back-and-forth battle that it was able to claim over the Warriors by a slim 9-8 margin.

Both sides picked up runs early, the Bears seeing leads of 3-0 and 5-4 disappear before it scored three times in the top of the fourth to move ahead for good.

Still, a seventh-inning tally was needed as Chittenango, up 9-6, gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but saw relief pitcher Kyle Peryer pick up the final out.

Taking advantage of five Hannibal errors, the Bears saw Austin Khammar earn a pair of hits as he, along with Ben Welch and David Bruno, drove in single runs. Welch and Bruno also pitched before Peryer took over late.

In Saturday’s 12-1 defeat to Bishop Grimes, the Bears fell to 4-6 overall, with still half of its schedule that it hopes to play over the next two weeks.

Having faced plenty of adversity during the first half of the 2022 regular season, the Cazenovia girls lacrosse team was determined to turn it around. When the Lakers faced Tully/ Fabius-Pompey last Monday at Cazenovia College’s Christakos Field, it put together a fine all-around effort to take out the Black Knights 16-5. Building a 9-3 advantage by halftime, Cazenovia kept it up thanks to a perfectly balanced attack where seven different players picked up multiple goals. Charlie Prior, with three goals and two assists, led the way as Riley Knapp also had three goals. Megan Kuhn and Madison DeAngelis had two goals and two assists, with Katie Rajkowski and Hadley Schug both producing two goals and one assist. Julia Reff also had a two-goal outing. Cazenovia proved successful again on Thursday afternoon against LaFayette, rolling to a 13-5 victory over the Lancers with a steady, well-balanced attack. Knapp and Rajkowski each scored three times, with DeAngelis and Kuhn netting two goals apiece. Schug got a goal ane two assists as Prior and Cailtyn Smithers also found the net and Mackenzie Halladay recorded seven saves.

Chittenango was 7-2 going into last Monday’s game against Christian Brothers Academy, but found itself unable to contain the Brothers’ Gracie Britton in a 6-8 defeat. Britton, with eight goals, matched the entire Bears roster, with help from Maeve Mackenzie’s three goals. Ashley O’Hara did get two goals and four assists for Chittenango as Cara Kielbasa scored three times and Brooke Walters had two goals. Caitlyn Sgambellone also found the net.

In Thursday’s 14-5 loss to Homer, the Bears could not overcome a 7-2 halftime deficit. Sgambellone was the lone Chittenango player to score twice. Kielbasa and O’Hara both had one goal and one assist, with Newkirk getting the other goal. Kloey Roos (five goals) and Hannah Slade (four goals) accounted for most of the Trojans’ production. On Saturday, Chittenango met Whitesboro and lost to the Warriors 12-6. O’Hara had three goals, with Newkirk scoring twice and Skyler Brown adding a goal. Sgambellone and Kielbasa had one assist apiece. Abby Penfield recorded 12 saves.

Softball

l From page 14 8-1 on the season, while Chittenango fell to 7-3 overall.

A doubleheader with Mexico followed and the Bears swept it, taking the five-inning opener 8-3 by scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Anna Cavotta went three-for-three, scoring twice and driving in a run. Lauren Machan had two RBIs as Lily Callahan and Anna Spencer had one RBI apiece.

In the second game, Chittenango completed the sweep 8-1, a five-run first inning all that pitcher Caroline Porter needed as she limited the Tigers to one hit and struck out six. Olivia Jackson’s home run provided the power for the Bears. Spencer and Brianna Tooke both doubled and matched Jackson’s two-RBI output as Cavotta scored twice.

Meanwhile, Cazenovia was back in action Thursday against Homer, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning but struggling from there in a 12-2 defeat to the Trojans.

Homer scored in every inning except the second, getting a home run, two doubles and three RBIs from Alexandra Kellaway. Paige Reilley and Luka Galle drove in the Lakers’ runs, with Mya Skeele and Lucy Bliss scoring them.

The last week of April proved rough for the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team with four consecutive defeats to Westhill, Christian Brothers Academy and Marcellus.

Of those games, the two with Marcellus were the most frustrating.

In the initial encounter on April 30, Cazenovia led long stretches of the game, only to get shut out in the homestretch as Marcellus inched in front and prevailed 7-6, led by Chris Doshna’s four goals.

Jack Wright had three goals to pace the Lakers, but Brody Coleman was held to one goal and one assist, matching Forrest Ives, with Chris Vecchiarelli also converting. Mustangs goalie Quenten Polkowski had 16 saves, twice Tucker Ives’ total. When these same two teams met at Marcellus three nights later, again it was a defensive battle decided by a single goal – and again Cazenovia was on the wrong end of it, this time by an 8-7 margin.

Coleman was far more active here, scoring three times and getting a pair of assists. Wright netted two goals, with Ives and D.B. Falge adding one goal apiece.

Yet once again Doshna burned the Lakers for four goals and, once more, Polkowski made a difference, earning 12 saves as Tucker Ives got 11 saves. Luke Spitzer, Marcus Darminio and Adam Rayfield each had one goal and one assist.

After all this, what Cazenovia needed was any sort of victory – and it arrived last Thursday when it rolled past the LaFayette Lancers in a 17-5 decision.

Traditionally a lacrosse powerhouse, LaFayette has struggled this spring, entering the game 3-6. And the Lakers took out its frustrations on the Lancers, roaring to an 8-2 lead by the end of the first quarter and up 12-2 by halftime.

Coleman, regaining some of his early-season form, amassed seven goals and four assists. Forrest Ives scored four times, with D.B. Falge getting a three-goal hat trick as James LeFever had a goal and two assists. Wright and Gavin Winn also earned goals as Tucker Ives got credited with an assist to go with his seven saves.

With an opportunity to avenge an early-season defeat to Homer on Saturday afternoon, the Lakers were again on the wrong end of a close decision, falling 10-8 to the Trojans.

Wright’s three-goal hat trick, along with Coleman’s two goals and four assists, were not enough. Wyatt Hartley got two goals and Falge also scored, with Hunter Riehlman’s five goals and Ben Bradshaw’s 12 saves keying Homer’s effort.

Chittenango witnessed some history last Thursday night as it lost, 20-10, to Homer, who gave long-time head coach Tom Cottrell his 250th career win.

It was 12-5 by halftime, but the Bears kept fighting as Connor Meeks-Vaughn had four goals and one assist, with Brendon Barnard adding three goals and one assist. Vince Lazzaro scored twice as Ethan Robles had one goal.