Grimm settles for 2nd

BUFFALO — Thomas Grimm smiled and shook his head Sunday afternoon at Canisius College.

The Carthage High School senior seemed happy with his second Empire State Games experience. But that doesn't mean he got everything he wanted out of it.

Grimm and his Central teammates came up just short of their championship goal at the games, losing 7-6 in the scholastic men's lacrosse gold medal game to powerhouse Long Island.

It was a familiar result for Grimm, who finished the tournament with three goals and two assists. He was on the 2008 squad that also fell to Long Island in the title game.

But, then again, many teams have experienced similar fates against Long Island, which captured its fifth consecutive gold and 15th since 1984.

"Just another silver to add to the collection, unfortunately," Grimm said.

Central (4-1) couldn't slow down attackman Brandon Gamblin, who scored four goals in the title game, and finished with 18 in the tournament.

Grimm scored the game's first goal, and Central added goals by Riley Lasda (Ithaca) and Alex Hatem (Jamesville-DeWitt) in the final minute and a half of the second quarter.

But Long Island registered four consecutive scores to open the second half and never relinquished its lead.

"A lot of people have said you can flip a coin when these teams play," said Carthage's Derek Kehoe, who left the game in the final quarter with a twisted knee. "You see that by both one-goal games here."

Central beat Long Island 8-7 Friday in overtime, but experienced an 18-minutes scoreless stretch in the final.

Long Island goalie Zach Oliveri also played his best when it mattered most. He made a majority of his 10 saves in the second half, stuffing many Central scoring opportunities down the stretch.

"That happened in the first game when our goalie got hot," Grimm said. "It happens."

Grimm is still battling back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last fall during football season. He played this spring with the Comets, but said it is just now starting to feel 100 percent healthy.

Central coach Tom Cottrell, who coached Grimm for the first time this week, said the fact Grimm is coming off a major injury doesn't show.

"This is my first experience with Thomas," Cottrell said. "But I think he probably played some of the best lacrosse of his life down here this week."

Cottrell said he appreciated the efforts of all three Carthage players during the games, including Nick Piroli.

"They're hard-nosed, and give you every ounce of energy they have," he added.