Cayuga making strides in lax

AUBURN - So far, being a fledgling junior college men's lacrosse program that's stuck between two powerhouses - Monroe Community College to the west, Onondaga to the east - has been more curse than blessing for Cayuga.

But it doesn't stretch head coach Matt Smith's imagination too far to envision a turning of the tables in the near future.

"Auburn is the only high school in Cayuga County with lacrosse, so I've got to go in everybody else's backyard," said Smith, who coached Auburn's junior varsity team for seven years prior to becoming Cayuga's first men's lacrosse team in 2003. "Onondaga's getting every kid who doesn't get into a four-year school going there. They had 55 or 60 kids trying out for their team.