Kane Republican

All-star update – Soccer Showcase

Kane will be the mecca of high school soccer on Sunday, Jul. 28, when a huge crowd is anticipate­d at the high school's Paul R. Miller Stadium for the 8th edition of the NY/PA Corporate Cup Soccer Showcase.

Admission is free and fans will be treated to four matches, including Silver and Gold girls' and boys' games. Seven Ridgway-johnsonbur­g players, along with two from Elk County Catholic, four from Kane, and 14 from St. Marys, will take the pitch for PA that includes 88 players on the four teams from 18 schools.

The Showcase has grown immensely since 2017, when just a boy's match was played.

At Sunday's practice at the Kane facility, Kris Linderman, a co-organizer with Dave Talbot, talked about leaving the field after the first match won by the New York boys at St. Bonaventur­e.

"I thought we accomplish­ed our goals, and it went really well. We also knew that night we could do a girls' game the next year and be successful. But, without a doubt, if you're asking if I envision what it is now – no."

Freshmen through seniors can play, so two tryouts are held in the fall and two more in the spring before the 22-player squads are announced. The last of the four pre-match practices is Sunday in Kane.

"There's a lot of pieces that had to work together," Linderman said of the success. "We had to have the determinat­ion and drive to do all the behind-the-scenes work, and we had to get the buy-in from the players, coaches, and athletic directors. So, there's a lot of different pieces that come together and mesh to make this happen."

There is no cost to attend

the Showcase. Linderman chuckled when asked why?

"Why is it free? I have a hard time asking people to pay to come and support the players, who this is all about, so we never intended to charge people to come. There are several other games in the area where they do, but our philosophy is to raise revenue in some other way so people don't have to worry about how much it will cost to pack up the car and come. We've always believed that the players seeing you there will impact the experience more. We want people to take pictures with their kids and friends down on the field. That will have more of a lasting memory than what happens in the games."

According to Linderman, the players' uniforms (kits) cost over $17,000. It's just one of the many financial obligation­s.

"Not charging, however, does make it more difficult to cover the cost," said the co-organizer, "but we've been able to year after year because we have many businesses that help; we get donations, volunteers, and hold raffles and things like that. At the end of the day, we just want to break even and put something on that the kids can be proud of." Players and coaches Ally Notarianni will represent the Lady Elkers on the Gold squad after playing in the last two Silver matches. Her teammates Alexis Rohr, who played last year, Kallie Milliard, Hannah Wolff, and Sara Zameroski are on the Silver squad. Elkers Ethan Streich and Gavin Lehman, who competed in last year's event, are on the Silver team. Elk County Catholic's Timmy Brannock (Gold) is appearing in a fourth Showcase. His Crusader teammate Bobby Urmann is on the Silver squad. Kane's

Ethan Illerbrun is on the Gold roster. Anna Meyers, Jenyka Hearst, and Aaron Mishic will represent the school in the Silver matches. Gold St. Marys players include Sophia Radkowski, Lucia Hayes, Carter Dush, Luke Anderson, Liam Brem, Dawson Krug, James Pistner, Angelo Catalone, and Jason Mcanany; Silver players are Sophia Benjamin, Lilliana Mckay, Lukasz Curtis, Mason Heindl, and Aaron Bennett.

While the focus is on the games themselves, Linderman feels that the entire experience is a plus for the players.

"The tryout and practice sessions are all opportunit­ies to play with others at or above their skill level, and that will make them better. The speed of play is faster, and the technical skills here are, overall, much better than those of a regular high school team. There are a lot of things that are going to make them better, and hopefully, they can share it with their high school teams to help make them better. So, that's a great side effect of what we're trying to do."

Lady Elker coach Rachel Smith and Elker coach TJ Weaver are assistants, along with Lady Wolves coach Brittany Sprankle and Mike Shaffer, the St. Marys Dutch coach.

On the girls' side, Jim Warnick from Bradford is the gold head coach, and Chris Kurtz from Curwensvil­le is in charge of the Silver squad. Mike Puhala (Brockway), A.J. Lucas (Bradford), and Travis Cowburn (Bradford) are also on the staff.

For the boys, Warren's Steffan Blair is the head coach for the Gold squad, and Port Allegany head coach Aaron Clark is leading the Silver team. Peter Butler (Bradford), Matt Erickson (Dubois), David Reitz (Brookville), and Don Montgomery (Clarion-limestone) are

also assistants.

"I feel coaches are the unsung heroes," said Linderman. "They don't get a lot of accolades. They're volunteeri­ng their time, travel, and knowledge, and it's pretty cool to see players absorbing what they're teaching."

Matches

The girls kick off the action with their Silver match at noon, and the boys play at 2:30 p.m. The girls' Gold match is at 5 p.m., and the boys hit the pitch at 7:30 p.m.

New York won all but the boys' Gold match last season but has a 5-2 edge in those games. The teams have split the two Silver matches. The PA girls are 4-2 in Gold games, and New York

has won the two Silver contests.

"I think the Gold rivalry is a little more intense, but the Silver matches have only been played the last two years, so we expect the same," Linderman said. "Everybody wants to win, but having said that, nobody's a loser. Yeah, a team has more goals on the scoreboard, but I feel like everybody in the event wins. You get to be on the field with other players of good caliber and skill and play in front of more people than you probably ever had. There will be thousands of people here throughout the day, games are streamed, and college coaches will be here, which adds to the

intensity."

Future

While acknowledg­ing that each year presents challenges, Linderman said he and Talbot look forward to keeping the Showcase going.

"I don't know how long these games will last, but we will do our best. I don't know if there are two more guys like Dave and me who will have the drive and dedication, we could pass it on to, but even though we're not getting any younger, we'll do it as long as we can."

Note: More on the Soccer Showcase can be found on the group's Facebook Page and Instagram.