Ithaca boys lacrosse finds early-season stride

It’s been a spring to savor for lacrosse in the area. There’s plenty of ink that’s been spilled about Cornell men’s lacrosse, currently the number one team in the nation. But at the high school level, Ithaca boys lacrosse is flying out of the gates.

The Little Red have won seven of their first eight games of the 2025 season. Head coach Clay Fickenscher gave a ton of credit to the senior class for leading the Little Red to a strong start.

“This group has really bought in,” Fickenscher said. “They’re dedicated, they’re committed, and every single day they’re looking to improve. That’s really what’s led to our success. It starts from the top down, and our seniors have taken care of us.”

Ithaca has had zero issues with finding the back of the net so far. Through the first eight games, the Little Red have outscored their opponents 118-51 and have scored at least 15 goals in six of those contests. What makes them even more dangerous in attack is that the goals can come from up and down the roster.

“We have depth,” Fickenscher said. “You’re talking about seven or eight kids that can all step on the field and perform well. It puts a defense in a tough spot of,  ‘Who are they going to cover with their best guy? Who are they going to prioritize? Who are they not going to prioritize?’ And then we scan for that, we look for that, and then we play off it and take advantage of it. We’re also doing a good job of not focusing on one person having to carry the full load, so we’ve been able to move the ball and play together.”

At the top of the depth chart scoring-wise is Owen Simons. The senior tallied 25 goals through the first seven games and has been their top scorer for the third year in a row. The SUNY Geneseo commit has earned immense praise from Fickenscher.

“He just carries himself so well,” Fickenscher said. “He’s an awesome kid. He’s like the definition of an All-American in my mind. Take away sports, he’s just an All-American kid. And then you couple that with his work ethic. All the successes that people see on the field or on the ice, there are hundreds of reps and solo practice without anybody watching him that have truly led to that. He’s then placing opportunities for success, and he’s got the reps behind it to succeed. The definition of true greatness in my mind is making those around you better. He’s an All-American in the sense that he does that as well, too.”

The Preheim twins have also excelled early on. Charlie—an attacker and Clarkson commit—is second on the team in scoring surpassing 20 goals, while Will—a midfielder and Nazareth commit—has thrived as a complete, two-way midfielder.

“They’ve really stepped up as great leaders,” Fickenscher said. “They’ve become more vocal and they’ve found more ways to coach up their peers with explaining what they see, talking through things with them, getting teammates’ perspective on things and taking that all into account as we go.”

An often-underrated part of lacrosse is battling for possession in the ‘X’. Quentin Getzin has been outstanding in this area for the Little Red, with the junior winning about two-thirds of his draws.

“Quentin is an absolute grinder for us,” Fickenscher said. He’s taking probably 95% of the faceoffs in addition to offensive reps and defensive reps. That’s quite a big ask from a team. He just grinds it out. He’s a great wrestler. When I think of wrestling, I think of grinders, and he’s just an absolute grinder. He does a lot for us.”

In goal, Thomas Howley has been rock-solid, recording a .683 save percentage through the first six games of the season.

“Thomas has just been doing really, really well,” Fickenscher said. “He’s a great anchor to a strong defensive unit that they both love to take care of each other. Thomas will always pull a save out of his bag that you’re not expecting, so that’s nice too. He’s just a kid that has a very positive outlook and positive mentality.”

It’s been a promising campaign for the Little Red so far as they work towards their ultimate goal: hoisting a sectional title for the first time since 2018. As with many elite programs, Ithaca is not thinking ahead to the Class A championship on May 30 and instead staying firmly rooted in the present.

“We try to look day to day,” Fickenscher said. “We try not to look too far forward. We really just want to write the ship day in and day out, and set things straight, get things correct… [We] don’t take a win for granted. [We] make sure we’re still looking for areas to improve and continue to improve each day.”