West Genesee First Lacrosse Team 1957
First Row: D. Webster;B.Green;B. Musengo; D. Fatcheric; D. Coughlin; B. Hunter; T. Burr; K. Pearson
Middle Row: G. Green;M. Wood;J.Saule;H.Komrowski;D. Morey; C.Yehle; D. Green; R. Brown, Coach R. Newell
Back Row: J. Parker; D. Cowburn; S. Perry; L Gillan; M. Ames; R. Bower; G. Faust; P. Krupa; B. Fragoman
1957 Lacrosse Season Scores
W.G. 2 Baldwinville 14
W.G. 3 Irondequoit 11
W.G. 1 Baldwinsville 4
W.G. 4 Baldwinsville 6 (overtime)
W.G. 4 Baldwinsville 4 (overtime)
West Genesee Lacrosse Traditions
West Genesee is a program steeped in tradition. Some traditions are long-standing, some more recent, some have been modified over the years, and still others are not spoken of, but held in the hearts of players.
• High Socks - This tradition dates back as far as anyone can recall. Genny is known nationwide in the lacrosse community as the "guys with the high socks". In 2002 , Inside Lacrosse Magazine conducted a internet poll asking readers their preferred sock length. One of the choices was "West Genny High Socks".
• Parents banner - A team banner was purchased by the parents of the 1997 team. It is brought to each game and hung up as "good luck". Since it's origin, the banner has had the current "team slogan" embroidered on the bottom each year.
• Team Dinners - Another tradition with a fuzzy starting date. Estimates are back to the mid-late 80's. Before a "big" game, a family would volunteer to host a "pasta" dinner for the lacrosse team in their home. This would happen before one of the regular season games. In '99 Terry Pensabene volunteered to host the dinner when his son Joe was on the team, but had it at his Pensabenes Park West restaurant in Fairmount. Since that time, the team has met at least once during the regular season for a "pasta" dinner.
• "Ground Balls" shirts - Once again, it has not been determined when this originated. Each team is given tee-shirts to wear under their game jerseys. Some years the shirts have had just the year and "Ground Balls" on it, other times a saying, chosen by the team that year that symbolizes their personal mission statement. Rumor has it that the shirts have been nicknamed due to the on-field yelling of "ground balls ...ground balls' by the Loyola Dons team during one of the early Daniel Hand tournaments in Connecticut.
• "Snickers Practice" - A very long Saturday morning practice where Coach Messere hands out Snickers candy bars at the break.
• Knitted Blanket - Originally knitted by Pat Tambroni when her son Jeff (and current Penn State head coach) was on the team. The blanket traveled to each game and was deemed "good luck". When Jeff graduated, the blanket (which had Jeff's name embroidered on it) was presented to the McCaull family. The McCaull's put their son's name on the blanket the next year and took it to each game. The blanket has been passed on from team to team over the years. The new "parents of the blanket", embroider their son's name on the blanket and at the end of the season...pass it on to the family who has had a son on the Varsity team the longest. In the event their is more than one family to choose, the blanket is passed to a family chosen by the one that currently has possession.
• "Head Art"- Reserved for teams that make it to the State Final and yet another tradition dating back to the early 80's. The team is encouraged to show their "artsy side" by giving one-another haircuts the night before just for that special day. The haircuts are not unveiled until the National Anthem.
• Coach Haircuts - Reserved for a team that actually wins the State Championship game. Each player takes their turn giving the coaches their "summer haircuts".
• "Running the Res" - For many, many years, "running the res" at Westcott reservoir was an integral part of the West Genny lacrosse program. When a team occasionally did not perform particularly well in a game, the team bus would stop by the reservoir on the way home for some "extra work". The team from 1998 had the good fortune of not stopping in Westvale the entire season and went on to defeat Ward Melville in the State Championship at Hofstra University. Now days, the "run" is reserved as a reward after winning the State Championship. The team bus now makes the detour for the obligatory stop and has become almost routine after each championship game.
• The Wilbraham Bell- Obtained in the early 80's during a championship game weekend, the bell has been traditionally hauled out of storage at the beginning of each years post-season play. Each player rings the bell after greeting the team captains and departing the team locker room prior to each playoff game. Additionally, team members traditionally strike the bell upon entering the year-end team awards banquet.
West Genesee Lacrosse Facts
• All-Time Team Records
1957 - 0-6 - Coach Royce Newell - First team
1958 - 0-4-1 - Coach Iannicello
1959 - 1-6 - Coach Iannicello
1960 - 4-5 - Coach Iannicello
1961 - 1-6 - Coach Natoli
1962 - 4-3 - Coach Hemmer
1963 - 1-6-1 - Coach Hart
1964 - 5-5 - Coach Hart
1965 - 7-3 - Coach Hart
1966 - 10-2 - Coach Bill Wormuth
1967 - 3-9 - Coach Bill Wormuth
1968 - 6-5 - Coach Bill Wormuth
1969 - 9-3 - Coach Bill Wormuth
1970 - 13-2 - Coach Bill Wormuth / Sec 3 Division champions / OHSL Champ
1971 - 15-1 - Coach Bill Wormuth / OHSL Champ
1972 - 13-3 - Coach Bill Wormuth/ OHSL Champ
1973 - 14-3 - Coach Bill Wormuth / OHSL Champ
1974 - 13-0 - Coach Bill Wormuth / Sec 3 Division champions / OHSL Champ
1975 - 18-1 - Coach Bill Wormuth /Sec 3 Division champions / OHSL Champ
(1976-2015) under Coach Mike Messere: ()
1976 (19-1), 1977 (21-1), 1978 (16-4), 1979 (21-1), 1980 (20-1), 1981 (24-0), 1982 (24-0), 1983 (20-0), 1984 (23-1), 1985 (24-0), 1986 (18-1), 1987 (23-0), 1988 (19-1), 1989 (17-2), 1990 (23-0), 1991 (22-0), 1992 (16-5), 1993 (15-2), 1994 (24-0), 1995 (22-0), 1996 (19-3), 1997 (22-2), 1998 (24-0), 1999 (22-1), 2000 (21-2), 2001 (16-4),2002 (21-2), 2003 (22-1), 2004 (23-1), 2005 (22-0), 2006 (19-5), 2007 (22-1), 2008 (21-3), 2009 (20-2), 2010 (16-4), 2011 (17-3), 2012 (17-2), 2013 (15-6), 2014 (13-6), 2015 (18-3)
• West Genny shares the state record for consecutive victories by going 91-0 during the 1981 through 1984 seasons!
• West Genesee Wildcats Section III Lacrosse Championships
1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013,2014,2015, 2018
• West Genesee Wildcats
22 New York State Championship Game Appearances
(15 state titles!!! No other team has won or appeared in more!!)
1981 - West Genesee 11 Yorktown 7
1982- West Genesee 8 Yorktown 7
1983 - West Genesee 11 Yorktown 8
1984 - Yorktown 6 West Genesee 5
1985 - West Genesee 10 Garden City 3
1987 - West Genesee 13 Yorktown 1
1990 - West Genesee 10 Ward Melville 5
1991 - West Genesee 10 Lakeland 5
1994 - West Genesee 5 Ward Melville 2
1995 - West Genesee 4 Sachem 3
1996 - Mahopac 4 West Genesee 3
1997 - Ward Melville 8 West Genesee 7 (OT)
1998 - West Genesee 9 Ward Melville 8 (OT)
1999 - Ward Melville 13 West Genesee 12 (OT)
2002 - West Genesee 10 Northport 9
2003 - West Genesee 11 Farmingdale 10
2004 - West Genesee 12 West Islip 6
2005 - West Genesee 15 Niskayuna 2
2006 - West Islip 7 West Genesee 6
2007 - West Islip 9 West Genesee 4
2008 - West Genesse 11 Syosset 7
2013 - Ward MelVille 16 West Genesee 4
2015 - Niskayuna 13 West Genesee 10
2018 - Ward Melville 15 West Genesee 2
• West Genesee Wildcats #1 In Final National Rankings
(started in 1990)
1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005
• West Genesee Playoff Record
Championships - # played / # won
League — 40—34
Section 3 — 38— 32
Sec. 3 vs 4 Quarter Final — 30—27
State Semifinal— 27— 22
State Final — 21 — 17
• Former West Genesee players now coaching in college
• Division I
Syracuse - John Desko / Kevin Donahue
Penn State - Jeff Tambroni
Mt. Saint Marys - Tom Gravante
UMass - Kevin Burns
Dartmouth - Bill Wilson
Richmond - Dan Chemotti
Bellermine - Kevin Burns (head Coach)
Bellermine - Bill Gleason
• Division II
Lemoyne - Dan Sheehan
Green Mountain - Spike Falvey
• Division III
Clarkson - Bill Bergan
RPI - Tom Korrie
Geneseo - Jim Lyons
Vassar - Joe Proud
Cortland St.- Steve Beville
Oswego - Ryan Spillet
West Genesee Player Achievements
60 Players named High School All Americans 57 times
60 First Team All Central New York ( established 1995)
8 Centrail New York Players of the Year ( established 1995)
135 New York Empire State Game Players (established 1984)
107 Players named College All- Americans 190 times
5 Players were 4 time AA's
19Players were 3 time AA's
42Players were 2 time AA's
45Players were 1 time AA's
18 NCAA Players of the Year in their position
6 NCAA Over all Player of the year Awards
6 NCAA Champioship Game MVP's
6 Inducted inthe National Lacrosse Hall Of Fame
21 Inducted in the Upstate Lacrosse Hall of Fame
2 Inducted in the Greater Baltimore Hall of Fame
2 Inducted in the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame
12 Inducted in the West Genesee/Camillus Sports Hall of Fame
1983-84 Teams Inducted in the Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame (91 wins)
