EAST SYRACUSE — For the second year in a row, the No. 3 Homer Trojans fell to No. 1 Jamesville-Dewitt in the Section III Class C final, losing 20-5 on Wednesday night. The game was played at East Syracuse-Minoa High School. Jamesville-Dewitt will head to states for the third year in a row.
The Red Rams dominated the first half, leading 16-2 at the break. Andrew Laubenstein had five goals in the half, four in the first quarter. Luke Patchen, the Red Rams’ leading scorer, added three goals. Lucas Brazil and Miles Patchen each had two goals in the first half.
Despite Jamesville-Dewitt’s controlling lead, Homer did strike first when Mason Potter scored off an assist from Chris Slade just 53 seconds into the contest. Homer’s other first-half goal came from Daniel Stiles unassisted late in the opening quarter.
“J-D is just a very dangerous team, top to bottom,” Homer head coach CJ Nye said. “Their defense is stout, they take turns, they share the ball as good as anybody in Section III and to beat a team like that, we have to play our best. We played really good at moments, but if we’re not totally sharp they’ll make you pay.”
Landon Manning made some key saves in net for the Trojans on point blank J-D scoring chances. The Red Ram offense was too stout and continually put pressure on Manning and Homer’s defense until it broke.
The scoring settled down in the second half, as Homer held the Red Rams to just four goals — two in the third and two in the fourth. Alex Votra scored twice in the second half for Homer and Stiles added his second goal with just under four minutes left, the game’s final tally. Too much damage had been done in the first half as Homer walked off the field for the final time to a familiar sight.
“It’s three years now that J-D has ended my season,” Nye said. “It’s certainly going to be a focus to prepare the guys to get back here, but perform a lot better and give us a chance to win.”
Homer will lose 10 seniors, a strong class that has led the program to deep sectional runs throughout their careers. Nye believes the group has set a standard for the Trojans, one they’ll be looking to continue and eventually top in the future.
“This group of seniors is really special,” Nye said. “We let everybody know that this is the standard — getting to the sectional championship. Now, we have to get over the hump and we have to win it.”
