HELENA — Jerrod Maddio learned quickly that the Shodair Soccer Classic is about more than just the big game in the end.
Besides being treated like kings and queens — the soccer players followed up a banquet Friday night with a night at the water park and plans for movies this morning — they learned a little bit about Shodair Children’s Hospital itself.
On Thursday a group of players visited the hospital, which provides comprehensive medical genetics services for people of all ages and psychiatric services for children and adolescents from communities throughout the state. The Classic raises funds and awareness for the hospital while providing an entertaining venue for the top student-athletes from across the state.
Maddio said that before he met the kids he was given the speech about how some might react a little differently than he might be used to. But, when he began passing a soccer ball around and teaching the kids how to juggle it with their feet before participating in one big scrimmage, he found out there’s not much difference between them at all.
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“They were normal and happy, just like any other kid,” he said.
Soccer tends to have that effect.
The players and coaches shared it once again on Friday with a free clinic for the public with roughly 200 kids participating. But, with the weekend’s activities coming to an end, it’s time for the state’s Class AA and A all-stars to focus on what they have to do on the pitch.
The East and West teams for both men and women will be played tonight at Nelson Stadium. The women’s game is scheduled first at 5 p.m. while the men’s game will follow at 7 p.m.
Maddio knows the bonding time he has spent with new friends — many of whom he had played against during the high school soccer season — will be put to the test.
“Everybody’s really nice, but during practice, you can just tell it’s on,” he said. “It’s going to be an intense game.”
After watching last year’s game, he realized there’s a big step up in competition since every player was a top contributor for his or her team.
“It’s pretty incredible,” said Missoula Hellgate head coach Jay Anderson, who will coach the men’s squad alongside Capital High’s Glen Wall. “If you had a high school team like this, you wouldn’t have much to do.”
In fact, Anderson said it’s been a pretty laid-back experience as he participates in his first Classic.
East head coach Carl Straub, who is joined by fellow Helenan Robin Farrell, will be on the sidelines for his third straight all-star game
“It’s been a kick,” he said of the past experiences. “The guys will go out and knock heads and put out a good fight.”
One thing both coaches could agree on is that the Class A players like Billings Central’s Mike Eggen for the East and Bigfork’s Alec MacCallum for the West have just as much – if not more – skill as the young men from the larger division.
Straub’s 18 players are split down the middle between A and AA, while 11 of Anderson’s 15 are from the larger schools, with two each from Helena and Capital. Maddio is joined by former Helena goalkeeper Riley Sheldon, while Dallin Harris and Nate Rasor represent the Bruins.
Anderson will also have his former teammates Jonah Brown and Lucas Matelich of Hellgate on his squad.
“It’s really great,” Anderson said. “Lucas and Jonah have both on my high school team as freshman.
“It’s kind of cool to get to hang with them before they head off to college.”
Bozeman’s Erika Cannon, who joins Lori Sterger and Megan Parish of Billings on the East women’s coaching staff, is in her fourth year with the program and knows the key to winning the game could be getting the young women quickly out the gate.
“They can be a little tentative at first,” she said. “Usually it’s the team that sets the tone and gets comfortable the quickest that wins.”
The East squad has 13 Class AA players and six from the smaller schools on the roster.
The West team, coached by Helena High’s Mike Meloy along with former participant Alex Tuttle, and Hunter Terry of Great Falls, has 17 Class AA players — 10 from one of the two local schools — and just three from Class A. Those are Whitefish’s Megan Apple, Kaitlyn Shults of Bigfork and Corvallis’ Tabitha Hooten in goal.
Meloy, who is in his first year of coaching but has refereed some of the games in the past, said it will be on eof the most aggressive women’s games a person can watch, but also one of the cleanest. The players are simply too skilled to have to rely on dirty tactics.
After all, the Classic isn’t just about the game, it’s about the whole experience, Meloy said.
“If there’s one thing they take away, I hope they’ve been touched by the kids they met yesterday,” he said. “I hope that’s what they remember more.”