By Jordan J. Michael

BINGHAMTON – After winning two contests at the Empire State Games last summer, the Adirondack boys’ lacrosse team only expected further improvement.

Rory Nunamacher, Dan Flora, Travis Moore, and Andrew Vivian – local laxers on the regional team – didn’t foresee losing all five of their games.

“It was definitely a tough break,” said Vivian. “It wasn’t a lack of talent. We went up against some great teams.”

The Adirondack Region has a deep history of lacrosse, but not as deep as the other New York regions in the Games.

“We’re still growing as a region,” said Vivian. “The other areas have already been established.”

Vivian is going to be a senior at Christian Brothers Academy. He made the Adirondack team for the first time after an intense try-out. “You have to put everything into it, all the energy you have,” said Vivian.

The Slingerlands native is looking at Colgate University and Dartmouth College. “The Games are a big deal,” said Vivian. “You get to showcase your talent to colleges in a stadium-like atmosphere.”

Nunamacher and Moore are both seniors at Guilderland. Flora is a senior at Schenectady. “Not winning a single game was an unpleasant surprise,” said Nunamacher. “I was here last year when we won two games. I was looking forward to a medal this year.”

Adirondack’s first game was a 10-3 loss to Hudson Valley. After a tight first half, Hudson Valley pulled away. Vivian scored two goals in the game.

Adirondack couldn’t get it going early against Central in its second game. Central had a 5-1 lead after the first period. Central took the game 12-3. Nunamacher had a goal in the loss.

The third match-up was an 11-2 loss to Long Island, a team that went undefeated in the tournament to win the gold medal.

Adirondack’s fourth game against New York City was a highly-contested shootout. The two teams were knotted at 3-3 going into in second half. “We should have won this game. It was our best showing of the weekend,” said Moore.

Forest Sonnenfeldt, of New York City, was an unstoppable force with five goals. The city boys won the game by a score of 8-5. The two teams combined for 52 total shots. Nunamacher netted two goals and Flora added another. Vivian had two assists in the game.

Adirondack was looking for a win against Western to finish out the games. “We really couldn’t afford to go winless. The ball just didn’t bounce our way all weekend,” said Flora. Adirondack was trailing 6-1 at halftime.

The blue-and-yellow closed things out with an 11-4 loss to Western. Nunamacher, Flora, and Vivian scored one goal each. Vivian also added two assists.

“We played our hearts out,” said Nunamacher. “Winning isn’t everything. We put forth an amazing effort and that’s what counts.”