TULLY –– The Homer boys lacrosse team took an early lead on Tully/F-P and always seemed to have an answer to runs from the Black Knights, as the Trojans prevailed with a 16-11 win Thursday at Tully High School.
Homer had a strong showing in the first quarter, as it took a quick 2-0 lead on goals from Daniel Stiles and Wyatt Wilbur. Tully responded with a goal from Daniel Garback off an assist from Jacob Verbanic, but the Trojans outscored the Black Knights 3-1 to close out the first. Chris Slade, Gabe O’Connor and Stiles scored for Homer while Nathan Reid added a goal for Tully/F-P.
Tully rallied off three straight goals in the second to tie the score at five, but Homer answered with three goals of its own to take an 8-5 lead into the break. Reid scored back-to-back goals for the Black Knights followed by Tristan Hendricks finding the back of the net. The response from the Trojans came on goals from Slade, Stiles and Cooper Swartz.
Homer looked to build on its lead heading into the third, but Tully/F-P never backed down. Swartz struck first for the Trojans, but Louis Bennett answered for the Black Knights 32 seconds later.
Slade then made it 10-6 for Homer, but Verbanic converted for Tully/F-P on a chance 18 seconds later to keep the lead at three. The Trojans got some insurance before the final quarter, as Swartz and Wilbur both scored unassisted goals to make it 12-7.
Tully/F-P, much like it did all game, kept on pushing and scored two quick goals in the fourth to get back within three. Bennett scored an unassisted goal and Daniel Shetler scored off an assist from Verbanic.
Homer responded with its biggest rally of the night before Tully/F-P could regain momentum. Swartz, Slade, Jack Brady and Stiles scored four unanswered goals to make it 16-9 with just 1:55 remaining. Swartz, Slade and Brady’s goals came within a two-minute period from the seven-minute mark to the five-minute mark. Stiles capped off the win after several strong minutes on defense from the Trojans.
Though Tully/F-P looked out of it with time against it, Garback added two more goals in the final minute and a half of regulation.
Homer head coach CJ Nye had nothing but good things to say about the opposition after the final horn.
“This Tully team has got a lot of fight in them,” Nye said. “They don’t have a huge bench, but they’ve got some great senior leadership and guys that don’t stop playing until that last whistle.”
Homer earned every bit of its win Thursday. Tully/F-P went through stretches where it looked like it would come back and take the lead, but the Trojans always had an answer. Nye saw his offense take on the challenge and find weaknesses in the Black Knights’ defense.
“We found some good matchups and our guys took advantage,” Nye said. “Props to (assistant) coach Zach McMullin for having a good game plan offensively and then adjusting in the game when Tully showed up. When any weaknesses showed up, he had them attack it.”
It was a group effort from Homer offensively. Stiles, Swartz and Slade all finished with four goals, with Stiles adding two assists. Wilbur added two goals and an assist, Brady and O’Connor added a goal and Brycen Poole had an assist.
Homer is hoping to develop some momentum in the last stretch of the season before the postseason. Thursday’s win was a good indication of how much the team is improving, it just needs to build off it.
“Our guys are becoming more seasoned now with it being close to the end,” Nye said. “Our juniors and sophomores are no longer rookies, and their game experience is starting to show. We still have to be better at holding off teams making runs. I’d like them to be a little more consistent, but we’ve got another week and a half here to keep working and get ready for a playoff run.”
Reid and Garback each scored three goals for Tully/F-P, Bennett added two goals and an assist, Verbanic had a goal and three assists, Hendricks had a goal and an assist, Shetler had a goal and Lane Greczyn had an assist.
In net, Ben Bradshaw had 13 saves for Homer and Payton Bliss had 16 saves for Tully/F-P.
Homer plays again at noon Saturday at home against New Hartford. Tully/F-P plays next at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against Lafayette/Onondaga.
GIRLS LACROSSE
CBA 18, CORTLAND 4
Valerosa Gambitta scored twice for Cortland, but the Purple Tigers trailed 16-1 at halftime.
Emma Marks and Sophia Souzas both scored a goal for Cortland.
Liz Slavick made seven saves in the net, Gambitta controlled five draws, nabbed a ground ball and forced a turnover, Lily Yang added three draw controls and a forced turnover, Marks controlled two draws and forced a turnover and Aubree Larkin and Ella Starinsky each scooped up a ground ball.
HOMER 15, MEXICO 4
Maria Partis and Lilly Sorenson each had a hat trick as Homer built up an 11-3 lead in the first half to cruise. Partis added three assists and Sorenson had a helper.
Eila Spanbauer added two goals and two assists, Emma Effinger and Caitlin McCloy each scored twice, Gracie Newman and Izzy Small scored a goal apiece and Kiera Hooper contributed an assist.
Aislynn Cobb made nine saves and forced a turnover for the Trojans. Sorenson won six draws, forced six turnovers and got a ground ball, Spanbauer added two draw controls, Partis notched a draw control and a ground ball, Effinger controlled a draw, Taryn Quinn nabbed two ground balls and forced a turnover, Newman and Caleigh Stone each got a ground ball and Small and Izzy Tutino forced a turnover each.
SOUTHERN HILLS 16, WHITESBORO 7
Maddy Lund went off for five goals and an assist and Aliyah Mattox followed her up with four goals and an assist as Southern Hills cruised to a win.
Maddie Simmons also scored three goals, Amie Shute scored twice, Mackenzie Loughlin had a goal and two assists, Gracie Burns pitched in a goal and an assist, Kameryn Meaney had two assists and Gabby Flatt had an assist.
Kiera Reed stopped 11 shots and picked up a ground ball for the Storm. Loughlin added four draw controls and three ground balls, Mattox had four draw controls and a ground ball, Simmons notched three draw controls, two ground balls and two forced turnovers, Flatt had two draw controls and four ground balls, Lund contributed three ground balls, a draw control and a forced turnover, Burns got five ground balls and a forced turnover, Shute scooped up two ground balls, Meaney and Molly Verbanic both had a ground ball and a forced turnover, Ellie McElhannon added a ground ball and Gabbie Brown caused two turnovers.
BASEBALL
CBA 7, CORTLAND 4
Cortland allowed four runs in the bottom of the sixth on some sloppy defense in a second straight loss to CBA. Danny Jackson led the Purple Tigers’ offense, going 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Owen Johnson was 2-for-4 with a double and a run, Ethan Johnson walked twice, drove in a run and scored once, Cal Albright singled, walked and scored a run, Antonio Terrazas singled and drove in a run, Caden Albright singled and Connor Browngradt had an RBI.
Ethan Johnson threw all six innings, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 12 hits, two walks and a hit batter with three strikeouts.
MEXICO 4, HOMER 2
Mexico starting pitcher Brayden Mack carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and struck out 10 Trojans in Homer’s league loss. The Trojans scored in the seventh inning on an Evan Sullivan RBI single and a Jack Bertram RBI single.
Tyler VanEtten also had a hit and scored a run and Mitchell Earle walked and scored.
Graydon Hickey went three innings for Homer, giving up four runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter. Max Franco tossed three scoreless frames, striking out two and walking one.
MADISON 6, MCGRAW 5
McGraw lost for the third time in its last four games after allowing a five-run fifth inning. Owen Mulcahy went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Thomas Lea was also 2-for-3, Jaydon Bassett tripled, knocked in a run and scored, Blair Mulcahy tripled and scored, Calob Sutton doubled and scored, Brennan Wilson singled and scored, Riley VanLiew walked and drove in a run and Foster Eaton singled.
Blair Mulcahy tossed all seven innings, surrendering six runs, two earned, on five hits, two walks and a hit batter with 11 strikeouts.
SOFTBALL
CBA 15, CORTLAND 3
Cortland settled for a split with CBA despite Sophie Mayer’s big day at the plate. Mayer went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run scored.
Natalie Burns also went 2-for-3 with a run scored, Abby Romans walked and scored and Claire Turner notched an RBI.
MEXICO 11, HOMER 5
Homer allowed eight runs in the first two innings and couldn’t come back. Alex Kellaway paced Homer’s offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ally Verfuss was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs, Khloie Young singled, walked and scored once, Kaylee Darling and Mya Riccardi each singled and recorded an RBI and Alexis Arnold singled and scored.
Emily Petrella went three innings in relief, giving up three runs on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts.
MCGRAW 18, MADISON 3
McGraw totalled 17 hits as the Eagles won for the third time in their last four games. Katelynn Millard led the way, going 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.
Remmi Stull went 3-for-3 with a double, three walks and four runs, Josslyn Eaton finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs, Leah Terwilliger doubled, knocked in two runs and scored three times, Haylee Bassett doubled, walked and scored twice, Madison Sweeney singled twice and knocked in a pair of runs, Hannah Wilson singled twice and scored once, Bristol Eastman and Camdyn Caperton both singled, walked and scored, Lexi McCall scored two runs and Casiana Vasquez scored a run.
Abby Lakie tossed four innings, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Stull got the final three outs, allowing a run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout.
CINCINNATUS 3, BROOKFIELD 2
Cincinnatus scored all three runs in the top of the first and allowed both runs in the bottom of the sixth in a CCL win. Kaylee Brenchley tripled and knocked in two runs for the Lions.
Payton Gerrard was 2-for-4 with a run scored, Lucy Finch and Madison Stover both singled and scored and Addison Stith, Neveah Billings, Hannah Ellerson and Rachael Standish all had a hit as well.
Gerrard threw a complete game, surrendering two runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks with 12 strikeouts.
TRACK & FIELD
CORTLAND BOYS 75, WESTHILL 61
Iniko Abani and Jack Phelan both won two events Wednesday as the Cortland boys beat Westhill. Abani finished first in the 110-meter hurdles (15.8 seconds) and high jump (5 feet, 10 inches), while Phelan won the 100-meter dash and long jump (18 feet, 10 inches).
Spenser Dodds finished first in the 400-meter race (54.6 seconds), Liam Burns took first in the 200-meter dash (23.6 seconds) and Bryan Honan won the shot put (43 feet, 2 inches).
DRYDEN
Jade Brockner and Reagan Burnham both won two events at the Marathon Spring Fling Invitational Wednesday. Brockner won the 100-meter dash (12.90 seconds) and 200-meter dash (26.70 seconds) and Burnham took first in the 1,500-meter race (5:17.99) and 3,000-meter race (11:11.92).
Raelen Green finished first in the girls long jump (15 feet, 11.25 inches) and was third in the 100-meter dash, Maysie Davis won the triple jump (31 feet, 10 inches) and finished third in the long jump, Mckenna Crocker topped the competition in the 2,000-meter steeplechase (8:40.40) and was fourth in the 1,500-meter race, Ella Bloomfield-Brown came in second in the 400-meter hurdles, Weronika Conroy finished fourth in both the discus and shot put, Dalia Bosworth placed fifth in the pole vault and Hannah Emmelhainz was sixth in the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles. The 4x100-meter relay team of Green, Nicole Morrow, Emmelhainz and Brocker won with a time of 53.47 seconds, while the Sprint Medley Relay team of Bloomfield-Brown, Morrow, Green and Burnham finished first with a time of 5:00.18.
Ethan Gibbs led the boys team by winning the 400-meter hurdles (1:03.31) and coming in second in the 100-meter hurdles. Linkin Hess was second in the 400-meter race, Suansian Songput placed third in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump, Paul Busby was third in the 1,600-meter race and fifth in the 800-meter race, Sawyer Dickinson placed fourth in the 800-meter race, Talen Harrington came in fifth in both the long jump and high jump and Eliot Couch placed sixth in the 1,600-meter race. The Spring Medley Relay team of Hess, Gibbs, Harrington and Couch won with a time of 4:01.85.
MORAVIA
Kyler Proper broke his own school record in the boys 100-meter dash Wednesday at the Marathon Spring Fling Invitational, winning the race with a time of 11.36 seconds.
Seth Parker also took first in the boys discus and second in the shot put, Abram Wasileski was third in the high jump and the 4x100-meter relay team of Drew Famoly, Westin Walker, Wasileski and Proper finished first.
Cece Stryker led the girls team, finishing second in the 400-meter race and third in the 200-meter dash. Jordan Smith was also third in the high jump, Olivia Genson placed third in both the 1,500-meter race and the 3,000-meter race and Karson Mackey came in third in the 100-meter hurdles.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
BASEBALL
Skaneateles at Homer, 7 p.m. today at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex
Stockbridge Valley at DeRuyter, 4:30 p.m. today
Cortland at Binghamton, 10 a.m. Saturday at Conlon Field
Dryden at Newfield, 10 a.m. Saturday
LaFayette at Tully, noon Saturday
McGraw at Marathon, 4:30 p.m. Monday
Fabius-Pompey at Tully, 4:30 p.m. Monday
SOFTBALL
Homer at McGraw, 4:30 p.m. today at Blodgett Mills Softball Field
Elmira Heights at Dryden, 4:30 p.m. today
Phoenix at Cortland, 10 a.m. Saturday at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex
McGraw at Moravia, noon Saturday at Wells College
Cincinnatus vs. Saranac, 1:15 p.m. Saturday
Cincinnatus vs. Edward Knox, 3:15 p.m. Saturday
Dryden at Waverly, 10:30 a.m. Saturday
Phoenix at Homer, 5 p.m. Monday at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex
Stockbridge Valley at McGraw, 4:30 p.m. Monday at Blodgett Mills Softball Field
Cincinnatus at Greene, 5 p.m. Monday
Fabius-Pompey at Tully, 4:30 p.m. Monday
BOYS LACROSSE
Elmira Notre Dame at Dryden, 6 p.m. today
New Hartford at Homer, noon Saturday
Dryden at V-V-S, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
GIRLS LACROSSE
Cortland at New Hartford, 11 a.m. Saturday
Westhill at Southern Hills, 2 p.m. Saturday at LaFayette Jr./Sr. High School
Southern Hills at Syracuse, 6:30 p.m. Monday at Nottingham High School
TRACK & FIELD
Groton at Corning-Painted Post, 4:30 p.m. today
Cincinnatus at Weedsport, 4:30 p.m. today
Tully at Baldwinsville, 4:30 p.m. today
Moravia at Southern Cayuga, 4:30 p.m. today
Dryden at Union-Endicott, noon Saturday
Cortland, Homer at Chittenango, 4 p.m. Monday
Cincinnatus, DeRuyter at Tully, 4 p.m. Monday
BOYS GOLF
Dryden at Groton, 3 p.m. today at Stonehedges Golf Course
Stockbridge Valley at Cincinnatus, 3:30 p.m. today at Knickerbocker Country Club
DeRuyter at Madison, 3:30 p.m. today at Barker Brook Golf Club
Madison at Cincinnatus, 3:30 p.m. Monday at Knickerbocker Country Club
Stockbridge Valley at DeRuyter, 3:30 p.m. Monday at Apple Creek Golf Club
GIRLS GOLF
Moravia at Vestal, 3:30 p.m. today at Apalachin Golf Course
BOYS TENNIS
Cortland at Cazenovia, 4:30 p.m. today
Homer at Manlius Pebble Hill, 4:30 p.m. today
Homer at Cortland, 9 a.m. Saturday
