Canandaigua 'hustles' to Class B title, Fairport runs past Pittsford in A in boys lacrosse

Of course it’s excellent to win your first title since 2013. And of course it’s fun to celebrate.

But for the Canandaigua Academy boys, the 7-3 win over Irondequoit in Thursday’s Section V Class B final was about more. Much, much more.

“We dedicated our season to Mr. LaCrosse,” senior midfielder Elliott Morgan said.  “We played for him.”

Steve LaCrosse died unexpectedly last August in a motorcycle accident as he traveled to Lake Placid for a lacrosse tournament. He was a CA graduate and a lacrosse referee who loved the program and had sons Dan and Tom come through the program.

Last week, Dan came to talk with the team.

“He told the kids to take a moment and look at the crowd and be thankful for the moment,” coach Deven York said. “And he said the best way you can show your thankfulness is to hustle. That’s the action that shows thankfulness.”

Jump to: Fairport wins title in Class A

On Thursday, the Braves hustled their way to a 3-1 lead after one quarter on the strength of two Jaxon Grant goals and another by Morgan. Grant’s third goal opened the second and Aidan Greco’s score for Irondequoit made it a 4-2 game.

But the Braves scored the next three goals and dominated in time of possession to keep Irondequoit’s threat limited.

“We started to get some looks but their goalie stepped up and then we couldn’t keep the ball," Irondequoit coach Aaron Bottazzo said. "They did a good job of holding on to it and that was the game.”

Dominant defense for CA

All season, the Braves have been a possession team. The philosophy is simple in that if they have the ball, the opponent does not and therefore, can't score. A big part of that is faceoff midfielder Luke McCrobie and that allowed CA to maintain possession for long stretches.

But the Eagles did get their chances and when they did, they had to solve a defense that includes three NCAA Division I commits in defensemen Eric Platten (Yale), Brady Comella (Hobart) and goalie Jackson Faiola (Hobart).

Irondequoit also was without a handful of players, including a couple of starters, for disciplinary reasons. And that's why it was so important for Irondequoit to cash in when it did have the ball because it figured the opportunities would be limited.

“They’re very disciplined on defense, they know their assignments and they stick with them,” Bottazzo said.

To that end, the Eagles scored just three goals and two of those came with the extra-man unit on Canandaigua penalties.

They said it

"I've always been watching this program and it's just great to be part of (a championship team)," said Morgan.

"This is huge," said Grant, a Canandaigua midfielder. "This is awesome, and we're not done yet."

"This is for our alumni," said York. "Every one of them believed in our program and instilled the values that you saw on the field today."

"It's not the outcome we wanted," said Bottazzo. "But I'm proud of these young men and the character they showed is unmatched."

Long time coming

Thursday may have ended a seven-season title drought for the Braves, but it's all the more special because of how close they've come in recent years. Since the 2013 win, CA has played in five other Section V championship games, but lost.

And York was the coach for three of those losses, the last two coming by one-goal heartbreakers.

So yes, the Braves are going to relish this one.

"It's so special," said York. "We've worked so hard and it seems you are judged by the scoreboard. That's what's so hard about high school sports. So to break through is really special."

Stat pack

Jaxon led the Braves with three goals and an assist and Morgan, Williamee, Matt Belles and Nate Sheridan each scored one while Faiola finished with six saves.

Greco scored twice for Irondequoit, Dan Buckley scored the other goal and Nick Lepiane made seven saves.

What's next

Canandaigua advances to play Hamburg, winners of 10 straight Class B titles in Section VI. The state quarterfinal game at Williamsville East on Saturday starts at 3 p.m. and the winner of that game advances to the state semifinals at SUNY Cortland on June 8 at 5:30 p.m.

Fairport wins Class A title

It wasn’t the first thought on Joe Giggie’s mind, but it was convenient after the fact. Because when you win the opening faceoff and score a goal just eight seconds into a game, the statement is clear.

Giggie’s big goal gave Fairport a lead it never relinquished and the spark it needed for an 8-3 win over Pittsford in Thursday’s Section V Class A boys lacrosse championship game.

It’s the third straight Class A title for the Raiders, who needed overtime to beat Pittsford for last spring’s title.

“I did not want overtime this year,” said Giggie. “I know how far I can get in for a shot and how comfortable I am. So I ran in and saw nothing but green. I was a little surprised, actually.”

Fairport never trailed in the game, the closest threat being a 3-2 lead after James Cook scored for Pittsford early in the second quarter. The next five goals over the second and third quarters belonged to Fairport and given the way the Raiders took care of the ball and the way senior Ralston McLean was playing in goal, the Panthers simply weren't up to the task.

"It seemed like he won every faceoff," Pittsford coach Andrew Whipple said of Giggie. "It's hard to get an offensive flow when they're scoring and getting the ball back."

The big advantage

Giggie came into the game winning 72% of his faceoffs and Pittsford didn't really have an answer for that. The Panthers tried several different looks, but nothing was winning them the ball, and when Giggie pulled his win-and-score approach again in the second quarter, it came just six seconds after the Cook goal and quickly doused any Pittsford momentum.

"We thought faceoffs would be an advantage for us," Fairport coach Mike Torelli said. "Joe is so strong and athletic and that first goal to start the game, often those can be backbreakers. They can really set the tone."

The dominance of Giggie went beyond the goals he scored as well. It put the Pittsford defense on notice, which is what Torelli wanted because he acknowledge the aggression and athleticism of the Pittsford unit.

"We wanted our wing guys to box them out and Joe's been learning to get the win and get the ball out quick," said Torelli.

Fairport had another big edge in goal. Ralston McLean made eight saves but more than the number, it was often the timing. On several occasions, the Panthers worked themselves into a good look at the goal, only to have McLean get in the way and make the kind of saves that can wear shooters down.

"He's been a difference maker for two years now," said Torelli. "He made at least three incredible saves that really made the difference."

Ralston was quick to credit the defenders in front of him.

"They did a great job of keeping the shots outside," he said.

Stat pack

Kyle Gould joined Giggie in scoring two goals each and Chase Rizzo, Jake Koonmen, Brendan Riley and Billy Meagher all scored one while Jackson Monte had an assist.

For Pittsford, Avery Valenti, Ben Steingass and Cook each scored one goal and Nolan Dehan made seven saves.

What's next

Fairport advances to the state quarterfinal round, where it will play Section VI champion Clarence on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Williamsville East. The winner of that game advances to the June 8 Class A semifinals at SUNY Cortland with faceoff at 4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V boys lacrosse: Canandaigua wins Class B title, Fairport repeats in A