GENEVA – For Scott Ditzell, the game reminded him of his youth. Growing up in Geneva, he used to trek to the Hobart campus with his friends and watch his favorite sport with the hometown crowd.

So in Ditzell’s first game back in Geneva Tuesday night, he desperately wanted a win. Judging by his three penalties, he probably wanted it a little too much.

Syracuse’s senior captain returned to Hobart, where he spent his freshman year. The long-stick defender helped lead Syracuse to a thrilling 13-12 win over the Statesmen at McCooey Field, and the Orange was awarded the Kraus-Simmons trophy, given to the team that wins the annual match. SU won its 19th straight game against Hobart.

‘This is like my home court,’ Ditzell said. ‘When I’m here in the summer and have nothing to do, I just hang out with my buddies here.’

Ditzell attended local Geneva High School, where he played football, basketball and lacrosse and was his class vice president. A few of his high school friends were in attendance Tuesday and were audible throughout the game.

During his freshman year at Hobart, Ditzell played lacrosse and appeared in every football game on special teams. Being around his childhood friends, though, Ditzell said his academics took a hit.

After his freshman year, he decided to transfer to Herkimer County Community College. He needed a change of scenery.

‘I wasn’t looking to come back (to Hobart),’ Ditzell said. ‘A lot of my friends were still around town. It was hard to focus on my academics.’

Ditzell credited his parents and the lacrosse coach at Herkimer, Paul Wehrum, with getting him on the right track. During that season at Herkimer, the team went 18-0 and won the NJCAA championship. Ditzell earned NJCAA Academic All-American honors for his effort in the classroom, but maybe more importantly, the season earned him a scholarship at Syracuse.

So now, in his senior year, in front of his parents and friends, and former SU lacrosse coach Roy Simmons Jr., Ditzell craved bragging rights.

‘Just knowing that I’m gonna have to see this field again and just knowing I could go out on top, it was real emotional,’ Ditzell said. ‘It was the final test, coming back here and being the oddball in your hometown.’

The air had a tinge of fall and the boisterous tailgating crowd was reminiscent of a high school football game. The scant bleacher seating was full and dozens of additional fans ringed the fence bordering the field.

Ditzell’s seven groundballs led the Orange, and he was a physical force against some of his former teammates on defense. Twice he was able to scoop a face-off win by Danny Brennan and start the ball upfield for SU goals.

But the game was too close for Ditzell to relax and enjoy playing against his old friends. While waiting at midfield for the ball to enter SU’s defensive end, there was no banter between Ditzell and the Hobart players.

‘I couldn’t say a word,’ he said. ‘I could barely breathe. I was just watching the clock.’

After the game was over, Ditzell lingered on the field longer than any SU player, chatting with his parents and friends. Two days late, the Kraus-Simmons Cup was the perfect birthday present for the 22-year-old.

‘Scott was very aggressive tonight,’ SU head coach John Desko said. ‘You put him in this type of environment and he probably felt like he had something to prove.’

Published on March 29, 2005 at 12:00 pm