AUBURN - Matt Chadderdon didn't have to look far for inspiration when he picked up a lacrosse stick at age 7.

With two national college powerhouses less than an hour away, the Auburn High School senior grew up hearing about the Syracuse-area schools hoisting banner after championship banner.

“Going to the (Carrier) Dome and watching games, seeing what those guys do, how it made them better definitely affected how I play,” the attacker said.

When he starts his own secondary career in the fall, Chadderdon will attend LeMoyne and suit up for the defending Division II national champion Dolphins.

The 18-year-old looked at several colleges before deciding on LeMoyne.

“I wanted to stick pretty close to home,” said the former first-team, all-league selection. “Out of all the schools I went to I liked their coaches the best. They're Division II champions year after year. You can't go wrong with that.”

Chadderdon will probably be a midfielder for LeMoyne. He started out the season playing midfield for Auburn but was switched to attack and adjusted well to the new position.

“Our offense is set up where we can dodge from anywhere on the field,” he said. “So it's just me not running over the midfield to play defense.”

What the Dolphins will gain in the fall, the Maroons will certainly miss. Chadderdon is Auburn's leading scorer, tallying 59 goals and 18 assists this season.

“I just shoot,” he said. “I'll shoot from anywhere.”

Chadderdon's offensive prowess isn't limited to Holland Stadium. As a hockey player, he scored 37 goals for the Maroons this winter.

On the lacrosse field he helps other players find the net. When he's doubled he has no problem passing to the open man.

“If there's a double, there's usually more assists for me,” he joked.

“It presents great opportunities for us from an offensive standpoint,” said Auburn coach Steve Crosby. “You don't see those types of things in the scorebook, but the attention he's got has opened other areas of the field up and our guys have done a nice job taking advantage of those opportunities.

Crosby said he believes Chadderdon's dedication to lacrosse and ice hockey has more than paid off.

“Matt works very hard at his game and has for a long time,” he said. “He's a talented athlete as evidenced by his prowess in the hockey rink as well [as lacrosse]. It's time put in working on skills and honing skills and all those skills are evident come game day. It's years and years of hard work on his part and it's coming all together in his senior year.”

The senior has led the late-season charge to earn the Maroons a Section III, Class A playoff berth. Auburn started off 2-7, but has won six of its last nine games to land a spot in the playoffs.

Chadderdon has stepped up his play as of late, and has had nine- and seven-goal games. He has only been kept off the board once this season - a 10-3 loss to Baldwinsville.

“He's always been an outstanding lacrosse player and we certainly know his capabilities,” Crosby said. “The second half of the season he's really erupted and shown to Central New York what he's capable of doing.”

Chadderdon has been on the varsity squad for three years and has watched the Maroons struggle at the start only to push through the later part of the season to qualify for the Section III tournament.

“It's taught me a lot about being focused and being determined,” he said. “The last three years we've been pretty down and out in the beginning of the year and we've fought back and made sectionals.

“The coaches definitely keep us motivated. They're always talking positive and bringing you up.”

A year from now Chadderdon, a future business/marketing major, hopes to be leading the Dolphins to another national championship - if he sees playing time as a freshman.

“I want to play as a freshman,” he said. “They're not losing that many people, but I think I can play with them.

“Hopefully.”