Pittsford pounces on Orchard Park in boys lacrosse state quarterfinal

Show Caption Hide Caption Pittsford lacrosse rolls into Class A state semifinals The Panthers defeated Orchard Park-VI 20-6 on Saturday, June 4, 2017, to advance to the state semifinals.

The Pittsford Panthers made sure there was no upset-special at their expense during the Class A state quarterfinals Saturday at Saint John Fisher College.

Not that Orchard Park didn't enter the game already facing a steep climb against one of the nation's top high school teams, according to Inside Lacrosse and US Lacrosse Magazine. Thing is, the Panthers didn't even allow them to make the first step toward getting started, scoring the first seven goals in an eventual 20-6 victory.

Pittsford started the scoring a minute into the match against the Section VI champion Quakers and then kept scoring to stroll into the state semifinals, where the Section V champions face the Baldwinsville Bees of Section III (Syracuse), 4 p.m. Wednesday at Fisher.

"I feel like we're in a good place, I feel like we kind of have an easy road to get to the finals,'' Pittsford senior Jeremy Jacob said. "We are doing well. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling.''

The Panthers turned this state playoff game into a mismatch. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association's version of a running clock for blowout games was in effect midway through the third. There were Pittsford starters who watched most of the action in the fourth quarter, including reserves pumping in goals.

Two-time Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester team member Colby Barker scored four goals, three of the team's first four. Jacob had two, while Sonny Imburgia finished with three, as 11 Panthers scored.

Like someone said afterward, a lot of people, especially those wearing the word Panthers, had fun Saturday morning after the opening face-off at about 10:15.

"Actually, it is, it is our highest output (this season), which is good,'' Pittsford coach Andrew Whipple said. "It was a team effort. We moved the ball and everyone finished their shots early (in the game), which was big for us.

"You don't want to look in the past too much, but back in 2015, it was a similar situation. We did a good job on them earlier in the year, but the second time we played them here, it was a battle."

Orchard Park coach Larry Catalano said Pittsford's matchup with the Bees should be a battle, as the Panthers attempt to reach a state tournament lacrosse final for the first time.

"We came into this defensively looking at putting a couple of defensive schemes out,'' Catalano said. "Even though it didn't go our way in that first half, it kind of worked.

"The players that were scoring for them were the guys we wanted to have the ball. We tried to keep the ball out of the hands of some guys, and we were doing that. It was just that (shots) were still going in, then we started to try and press. Once you do that, you give them space, then it becomes a big hole to dig out of.''

JAMESJ@Gannett.com