Libby soccer standout headed to all-star matchup

After being named one of the top soccer players in the state, local Libby Logger standout Zander Petersen has secured a spot on the 17th annual Shodair Classic roster for the Men’s West conference team.

Petersen, a 2016 Libby High School graduate, will be the lone representative for Libby in the classic, as well as the lone player from Libby’s conference and the Class A high school soccer division in Western Montana. The game will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday on the Carroll College pitch.

“It’s a real honor to be able to play in this game,” Petersen said Wednesday. “It will be really nice to go out and play one last hoorah.”

The Shodair Classic is an annual all-star match featuring more than 80 high school athletes, divided into eastern- and western-state sides to build arguably the most talented teams Montana has to offer from Class AA or A. Both men’s and women’s teams are selected by a committee, which also employs coaching staffs that brought their teams to state championship matches last year.

Playing at center-mid, Petersen led the conference in assists last season, earning him an all-state title. The Loggers’ 2015 season ended in a shootout against Loyola late in the playoffs, capping the year off a 7-4-1 record.

“It was a pretty successful season for us,” Petersen said. “It ended a little early, but overall it was good.”

Petersen finished his senior year with honors not only in soccer, where he lettered all four years, but lettered also in football, basketball and golf. He was the co-valedictorian of his class and will be attending the University of Oregon Business School this fall.

Mark Petersen, Zander’s father and head coach for the Libby High School team, said Zander’s success through high-school level soccer stems from a love for the game that started about 12 years ago.

“The reason he’s able to letter for four years is playing club soccer, that exposes players to competitive soccer at the age of 8,” Mark said. “It’s his life and it’s his love. He’s just attracted to the culture, the players and the sport itself.”

Mark said his son is the first Libby player to be invited to the Shodair Classic in the last five years. While Libby has recently dropped down to Class B to compete in sports, the soccer team has remained at the Class A-level because Class B doesn’t carry any soccer teams.

“It’s a great opportunity for him,” Mark said.

Petersen said he’s spent the nine months since the season ended playing club ball in the spring and has played in a few pickup games.

Aside from sharing a pitch with Montana’s best, Petersen is also looking forward to the opportunity to go to the Shodair Children’s Hospital, where proceeds from the Shodair Classic are donated. Petersen and the other 80 athletes will meet kids and host a clinic on soccer basics.

“It’s pretty cool they do that with the tournament,” Petersen said.

“The student athletes selected for this game are not only skilled players on the field, but are also outstanding individuals who are active in their communities, have a commitment to education and are supportive of the care provided to Montana families by Shodair professionals,” Shodair CEO Craig Aasved said in a press release.

This year will also be the first year that the Most Valuable Players from each game will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

The skills clinic will kick the weekend off beginning this morning at Nelson Stadium at Carroll College. On Saturday, the women’s game will begin at 3 p.m.; the men’s game will start at 5 p.m.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.