Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Section III boys lacrosse playoffs begin Saturday. Here is a look at the favorites, contenders, dark horses and players to watch for each of the four classes.
The favorite: The No. 1 Wildcats (16-0) are the last unbeaten team in the section and are trying to harken back to their era of state dominance. While Charlie Lockwood is the obvious player to key on, West Genesee fields five other players with at least 27 goals. Jonah Vormwald, the best faceoff man in the state, has missed much of the season with an injury but appears to be ready again for the playoffs.
The contender: No. 3 Baldwinsville (8-7) has won four of its last five, dropping only a one-goal game vs. Cicero-North Syracuse. And the Bees have played West Genesee tough this season, dropping two games by a combined three goals.
The dark horse: No. 2 Fayetteville-Manlius (7-8) didn't exactly make a case for itself by losing three in a row to close the regular season. Two of those games were against the Wildcats, however, and in the second loss the Hornets crept within three goals.
Players to watch: Baldwinsville's Brady Garcia (45-13); Cicero-North Syracuse's Donovan Chaney (37-30) and Adrian Sweeney (39-16); Liverpool's Christopher Matott (44-26) and Brady Michaud (48-21), Syracuse's Evan O'Neil (47-5); West Genesee's Charlie Lockwood (73-23) and Nash Oudemool (33-3).
The favorite: No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy (13-3) shouldn't break much of a sweat here. Its only losses came out of class, to Skaneateles, McQuaid and Skaneateles.
The contender: No. 2 Watertown (12-4) dropped three of its last five but can cause problems with an offense that features four scorers with at least 37 goals.
The dark horse: No. 3 East Syracuse Minoa (9-7) counts a win over Class A contender, Fayetteville-Manlius, this season and kept to within three goals in a loss to CBA.
Players to watch: Auburn's Matthew Smith (49-25) and Aidan Musso (44-16); Christian Brothers Academy's Jack Wichmann (42-32) and Vincent Lazzaro (43-16); East Syracuse Minoa Cayden Claflin (46-24) and Michael Santillo (48-25); Watertown's Jack Adams (37-47) and Nico Spaziani (56-27); Whitesboro's Connor Wiggins (53-40).
The favorite: No. 1 Jamesville-DeWitt (13-3) is the state runner-up and once again a juggernaut. The Red Rams' only losses this season came at the hands of A favorite West Genesee and a pair of out-of-section teams. J-D is equipped to win any type of contest, pacing Section III in goals scored (267) and coming in second in goals allowed (105).
The dark horse: No one in this field seems remotely capable of contesting J-D for four quarters, but No. 2 New Hartford (10-4) squeezes foes with a defense that allowed a section-low 102 goals. Although it has suffered some big losses to quality OHSL teams, the Spartans enjoy the momentum of a seven-game winning streak heading into the tournament.
Players to watch: Cortland's Nathan Harrington (25-15); Fulton's Xavier Doty (41-35), Aidan Halladay (31-31) and Landon Wakefield (30-21); Homer's Daniel Stiles (32-32), Alexander Votra (35-11) and Cooper Swartz (31-12); Jamesville-DeWitt's Lucas Patchen (40-20), Braeden Baker (27-17) and Jackson King (30-14); New Hartford Jake Garcia (40-23).
The favorite: No. 1 Skaneateles (12-3) is the pace-setter in what could be a very tight class. The Lakers are 12-1 after two losses to start the season and can dominate at both ends of the field with a 229-111 goal differential. Scoring can come from everywhere with five players who have tallied at least 32 goals. The Lakers own convincing wins over their two top rivals in this class, Marcellus (20-10) and LaFayette/Onondaga (20-8).
The contender: No. 2 Marcellus, which reached the state finals last season, unleashes the third-most potent offense in the section (235 goals). The Mustangs are building toward the playoffs -- they easily handled No. 3 LaFayette/Onondaga 20-9 near the end of the regular season and followed that up with an impressive 20-13 win over B favorite CBA.
The dark horse: No. 3 LaFayette/Onondaga (11-4) went on a 9-1 run to open the season but has slowed down since. The team's balanced scoring -- four players with at least 24 goals will have to pick it up many notches for the team to stay on the field with Marcellus and Skaneateles.