As is her habit, Sophia Nesci got the party started for the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team Tuesday afternoon.
The Northstars' game against Liverpool was still minutes away from even starting, but Nesci had all the stage she needed. As players waited through a 15-minute delay of the opening draw because an official was late arriving from another game, Nesci gathered the Northstars on the sidelines of Liverpool's field and signaled the start of a dance circle.
She led them in an impressive display of choreography backed by a range of music. It was a pregame routine that C-NS began in the state tournament last season but had yet to premiere in the team's four regular-season games this spring. As with everything else when it comes to C-NS this season, the players were in lockstep.
"We started it at the state championship, but it's just something that I thought was really important," Nesci said. "So when we were warming up, waiting for the ref, I was like, 'We need to dance right now.' It just gets us hyped. I'm a real good dancer, so I like to get our team hyped. And if you see it, it pretty much worked. We started off hot right off the bat, so it does work for us."
Yeah, it did.
And there's every reason to expect that the revelry will once again last into the early summer. The defending state Class A champs are a potential juggernaut playing both for fun and history.
Nesci led the way with four goals and Elizabeth Smith, Natalie Wilson, Avery Rumble and Miabella Gates buried three apiece as C-NS opened its Section III schedule with a dominant showing in a 21-4 win over Liverpool.
The contest was a rematch of last year's Section III title game and one that strongly suggests C-NS will again be without peer in Central New York and perhaps the state. The Northstars, ranked No. 2 in the state, are off to a 4-1 start.
That record includes two wins against Section V powers Penfield and Fairport, as well as another against one of the best teams in Massachusetts, Notre Dame Academy. C-NS' only stumble came against another championship-caliber team out of Massachusetts, Wellesley.
"I think that for us, we are really big on taking one game at a time, so we don't really look to the future of this team is better or that team is better," coach Stephanie Prentice said of comparing last year's team to this season. "I think they have the same mentality, they have the same drive, the same grit, determination to win. So I think in that sense, it's the same. We'll see where it takes us at the end."
Liverpool dropped to 2-3 with the loss.
Tuesday was a milestone game for a pair of Northstars. Nesci hit the 100-goal mark for her career and draw control machine Gabrielle Putman passed 400 draw controls for her career.
C-NS quickly made clear there would be no drama on the blustery afternoon. The team led 9-0 after one quarter and sent the clock into running time quickly in the second quarter.
"It all starts off with our draw-taker, Gabby Putman. She starts it off for us," Nesci said. "And I think what makes us different a little bit is just our transition. That's why we get pumped up fast, is we're just such a fast team. So we get those goals really fast and we push transition. We never slow down. We always look for the transition first. So I think that's what pumped us up really fast in the beginning."
Putman won 14 draw controls on Tuesday and is an artist at the craft. She is quick enough to flip the ball to herself and then uses her distance runner's burst to create space in the attacking end of the field.
"(It's) Just repetition. The draw is kind of like a science," she said. "You don't get it right every time. You kind of got to figure it out. Every person you go up against is different. Every stick is different. So it's just putting in the work outside. A lot of it I've just picked up myself. I've watched so many YouTube videos and I've just gotten so good at it. And I don't just do it in practice or in a game. It's what you put in outside of it."
This could have been a season of a different kind of transition for C-NS. The team lost 10 seniors from last year, a potentially devastating departure for most programs.
"We lost 10 seniors last year, all people that contributed to our team. So I think this year just keeps motivating us to keep going and keep doing the things that C-NS lacrosse does," Nesci said. "So I wouldn't say we're worse or better. We're just still motivated."
Prentice has established a factory line of talent in her five years running the team. It's hard to remember when she returned to coach her alma mater, the program hadn't won a sectional championship since she played for the school in 1997. Since Prentice took over she's won two sectionals and one state championship.
"I think we always knew C-NS had the talent. We've had talent for a long time. I think it's just utilizing the talent in the right way," Prentice said. "And I think the biggest thing is really getting the girls to just believe in themselves. We talk very much about having that mindset, the winning mindset. We go into every game believing we're going to win regardless of what the other team is, who we're playing. We always believe we're going to win. And I think that that's something that we've done as a program, is encouraged that and made sure that they believe that."
Smith credited Prentice with instilling the importance of confidence and chemistry in the Northstars.
"I think she gives a lot of girls opportunities and a way to see the field and see what they can do. And I think that's what she did for me," Smith said. "She gave me an opportunity my freshman year and I've been able to thrive off of it and have a really good career here at C-NS. And I think she thinks it's really important for us to get together and bond together. I think chemistry is most important when it comes to a lacrosse team."
