The Shale Soccer Classic is set to take place in Ohio next month, featuring some of the nation’s top soccer players. Besides a professional exhibition, the showcase will also be presenting two high school/club all-star matches. Two players chosen from the home state of Ohio are Alec Mueller and Philip Blackburn, both from Minerva High School, a school in Stark County.
Dave Gotschall leads the program as head coach and was also selected last fall, out of eight area high schools, as the Coach of the Year for the Northern Buckeye Conference (NBC). He hand-selected Mueller and Blackburn for the showcase next month.
“These guys are good athletes,”Gotschall said. “Both have unbelievable foot skills, field presence, and knowledge of the game. They both play for club teams so they’re pretty much active in soccer year-round.”
Mueller is the older of the two players, crediting his father who played up until college with introducing him to the sport in kindergarten.
“He always taught me how to play in different positions,” he said.
The 17-year-old just recently broke a 28-year Minerva school record as part of the 4×800 meter relay in track and field at state qualifiers, a sport he uses to boost his endurance in soccer.
“I keep soccer as my primary sport, “Mueller explains. “I want to play soccer in college, but if I have the option, I’d also like to run.”
In addition to playing with Minerva, he plays with the U17 Challenger Crew club team.
“My club level is a lot higher, a lot more difficult for me.”
He praises Wally Senk, head coach of the Crew, for pushing him and connecting him with college coaches.
“He pushes me to be a part of that team because if I slack off then my starting spot might be contested.” The club won the state championships in 2014.
Mueller’s teammate, Blackburn is a year younger, but also began playing soccer at a young age.
“I’ve been playing for 12 years,” Blackburn says. “My friend asked me to play soccer and I loved it, so I quit everything else. “
Blackburn is homeschooled, while the county has a law requiring those students to take a number of their credits in public school so they are eligible to play sports. Thus, he attends public school for half his credits.
Coach Gotschall added, “It works out fine; there’s usually never any conflicts.”
As a youth, the 16-year-old played defense.
“I was always the biggest one on the team,” Blackburn laughs.
Once he began playing club soccer, the coach moved him to midfield. “I had better ball skills then the rest of the kids, so I’ve been playing up there ever since.”
Midfield is often described as one of the toughest positions on the pitch, however Blackburn loves it.
“I like to be the play maker,” he adds, “I like that position better because it fits my style of play. It’s tougher because you have to have the most endurance on the team.”
In the long run, his main goal is to play Division I soccer. “Once I get to college, I want to be one of those players that’s on the team, someone that will make a difference.”
Towards the end of their season, Blackburn sprained his ankle and had to miss the remaining few games. “I was running through the yard and I stepped in a hole,” he said. “It was a high ankle sprain so I had to be off of it for a month. I’m going to have to work a little harder.”
Meanwhile, having played defense for the past three years, Mueller heads into his senior year playing a center midfield position. The school graduated 11 of their varsity soccer players this past May.
“I’ll be more of an attacking role because of the players who have moved on. With my club team they have me on defense most of the time, but because I can run the whole game and run fast, they put me in that role.”
Both players are hoping to play in college, and that participating in the Shale Soccer Classic will help them get noticed. “
Feels pretty good, that other people are noticing what I’m doing,” Mueller added.
Both students will mostly be on their own for training leading up to the game, since both their club and high school soccer seasons are over for now. The Shale Soccer Classic will be among the biggest soccer games both athletes have participated in thus far.
“I’m a little bit nervous, because I don’t know what to expect,” concluded Mueller.
Blackburn agrees, “I feel very honored. I’m really looking forward to this experience and the opportunities that it will bring. I’m thankful that my coach, Dave Gotschall, asked me to participate.”
