CENTRAL NEW YORK – An early-season area girls lacrosse showdown proved to be a tight one, but it was Jamesville-DeWitt emerging victorious against Fayetteville-Manlius. The Red Rams’ 10-9 victory last Thursday night featured a back-and-forth first half where, helped by Merris Kessler’s three g oals, it eased into a 6-5 lead going into the break. Most of the second half went in J-D’s favor thanks to a 4-1 push where it extended its margin to 10-6. Still, the Hornets roared back with late goals by Addison Keyes, Mallory Burns and Jane Ryan. Not until a key save from Rams goalie Pearson Eckrich on a Hornets transition piece with 20 seconds left could J-D hang on, having mostly contained F-M start Taylor Novack after she netted three goals in the first half. Kessler scored four times overall, with Sadie Withers getting two goals and three assists. Lauren Mills and Maggie Bliss had the other goals as Helen Dougherty scored twice for F-M, goals also going to Camille Ryan and Mallory Burns. Before all this, F-M opened its season at Marcellus, where it trailed at halftime but, led by Novack, Keyes and Jane Ryan, it dominated the latter stages to beat the Mustangs 17-8. It was Ryan who won 21 draw controls, including most of them in the second half, when a 6-5 deficit was transformed by dominating the time of possession and turning those extra chances into goals. Novack, who had 68 goals and 29 assists a season ago as a sophomore, scored seven times here, while Keyes poured in five goals Dougherty helped out with a three-goal hat trick plus an assist. Brooke Southwick earned a goal and three assists as Micaela Jennings and Colbie Jennings also converted. J-D tore through its opener that same night against visiting Oswego, unleashing its own trio of scorers against the Buccaneers in a 21-3 victory. Kessler scored six times and added four assists for double-digit points. Sophomore Gabriela Doumit emerged as a threat with five goals as Withers netted four goals and an assist. Alexis Scaramuzzino earned two goals and two assists. Lacey Phaneuf added a goal and two assists as Juliana Walker and Lillian Wells got goals. Already 2-0 on the season, Christian Brothers Academy made it three in a two by routing defending sectional Class C champion Fulton 16-4 last Tuesday at Alibrandi Stadium. The Brothers were playing its second game in a 24-hour span but still dashed out to a 7-2 advantage on the Red Dragons by halftime and then kept adding to that margin in the second half. Lilah Kirch’s five goals and one assists was matched, point-wise, by Maeve Mackenzie’s three goals and three assists. Ryann Murphy also got a hat trick, with Charlotte Wilson getting two goasl and two assists. Madison Ceclia and Sloane Massa both earned a goal and two assists. Emery McCartney had a goal and assist. This followed last Monday’s 18-4 romp over Chittenango where Mackenzie had five goals for the second game in a row. Kirch and Murphy had three goals apiece, with Massa earning five assists as she and Analise Whalen put in two goals apiece. Wilson and Ceclia also converted. Then CBA won 10-7 at Liverpool on Friday, with Mackenzie netting five goals and the other half of the production split between Ceclia’s three goals and Kirch’s pair of goals. Madison Evans, in goal, stopped 11 of the Warriors’ 18 shots. Though it took a far different path, East Syracuse Minoa also won its opening game, having to make a ferocious late comeback to defeat Syracuse City 7-6. Led by two goals apiece from Alayna Wood and Jane Klivak, Syracuse tore its way to a 6-2 halftime advantage. But the Spartans regrouped and, by the middle of the fourth quarter, had forged a 6-6 tie. With under two minutes to play, sophomore Liliana DiNatale wove through several Syracuse defenders and netted the go-ahead goal, with ESM holding on from there. This was DiNatale’s second goal of the night, equaling teammate Caleigh Hampel. Single goals went to Rhiannon Cobb, Jordis Aldrich and Madison Wood. ...read more read less