The Cicero-North Syracuse boys lacrosse season got off to a fiery start, but the Northstars' towering lead in Tuesday's clash with Lowville continued to dwindle.
C-NS turned to its two stars in its moment of truth.
The Northstars' duo of Syracuse University commit Adrian Sweeney and Le Moyne commit Donovan Chaney withstood the Red Raiders' comeback bid in a 13-11 victory.
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Sweeney and Chaney racked up three goals and three assists apiece in a pair of stellar efforts.
"We didn't rely on one guy," C-NS coach Chuck Wilbur said. "That's not how we play, but I think those two guys with their composure were scoring when they needed to and doing a little bit of everything."
Sweeney was named first team all-Central New York last season, while Chaney was a second team honoree. The duo is slated to lead the Northstars' offense throughout the campaign.
However, Sweeney had to step up and contribute in multiple ways on Tuesday. After C-NS dealt with injuries to its defensive midfielders, the junior stepped up to anchor the unit.
The Northstars jumped out to a commanding start. C-NS led 5-3 after the first quarter before putting together a flawless 4-0 second quarter.
Lowville was not intimidated by its looming halftime deficit. The Red Raiders dropped four goals in the third to cut into the lead.
At three different points in the fourth quarter, Lowville was able to pull within two goals. However, C-NS escaped unscathed each time to secure the season-opening win.
"You've got to give credit to Lowville," Wilbur said. "They're a good team at their home field, and they didn't go away. I've gotta give them credit for being tough kids and fighting through it and making it a game in the second half."
The Red Raiders were propelled by a pair of hat tricks from juniors Will Vokey and Owen Marcolini.
Lowville (0-1) is set to take on Westhill on Thursday.
C-NS (1-0) has an out-of-section matchup against Bethlehem on Saturday.
"They're one of the best teams up in Albany," Wilbur said. "It's another big challenge for us. We're going to have to be better than we were today to have success."
