Coach, player meet -- as foes

The date was circled on their calendars at the start of the season.

Framingham High graduate Colin Hulme, 20, is a defender on the Colgate University men's lacrosse team. His high school coach, Gene Zanella, is a first-year assistant coach at Holy Cross. At 4 p.m. Saturday, Colgate will face Holy Cross in Worcester, and both have been looking forward to it.

''I'm really excited," said Hulme, a junior. ''When he got the job, I was glad he'd have an opportunity to make his mark in the college ranks. He was one of the hardest-working coaches in high school, and I think it's something he really deserved. He played a huge role in what I was able to do as a lacrosse player in high school."

Zanella said: ''Colin is doing what I always thought he'd do, playing at that [Division 1] level and accomplishing good things. He's proven it from his freshman year."

Colgate is off to a sizzling start at 5-1, and shocked fourth-ranked Navy, 6-3, on March 18. ''It was by far the most exciting win ever for me," Hulme said. ''Just to be a part of it, to see our team work so well together and play at such a high level, will give us confidence the rest of the season."

The success of the Raiders is a sweet reward for Hulme, whose search for a college was a challenging experience three years ago. He was courted by Duke and made an official visit to the campus. He also considered Cornell and Middlebury, both of which are in Division 3.

''The recruiting experience was very interesting," he said. ''Things that were supposed to work out didn't happen. But things worked out in a weird way."

When Hulme's future plans were in limbo, Colgate coach Jim Nagle stepped in and said he envisioned Hulme as a core player for the future.

''He said he had seen me at camps, and his call came at a point in the process where I was willing to do anything," Hulme said. ''I figured it couldn't hurt to take a visit.

''The thing that struck me was Coach talking about how he was adamant about making the team better. He believed in me and I'm really happy with where I am now. My teammates are unbelievable. There are no regrets."

Hulme played in all of the team's 15 games as a freshman, making one start as a long-stick midfielder. He broke into the regular lineup as a sophomore, starting all 14 games on defense.

Zanella knew it was only a matter of time before Hulme, a sociology-anthropology major, proved his doubters wrong.

While Hulme is emerging as a star at Colgate, Zanella has immersed himself in his new job on Adam Pascal's staff at Holy Cross. Zanella served as Framingham High head coach from 1992 to 2005; it was a job in which he took great pride because of his deep ties to the town as a Framingham South graduate.

He still teaches physical education at Framingham High, then makes the trek to Worcester each day.

Holy Cross (0-6), which competes in the Patriot League along with Colgate, took an early-season trip to Duke, which was a highlight even though it was a lopsided loss.

''The experience has been going great," Zanella said. ''I'm learning a ton, the ins and outs, and helping wherever I can."

Zanella and Hulme plan to meet briefly before Saturday's contest, then will follow a universal lacrosse tradition and meet up afterward for a tailgate.

In between, they will be adversaries for the first time.

''I always wish him well and want him to have as much success as he can," Zanella said, ''but hopefully it doesn't come at our expense."