Houma sends 7 to first All-Star Soccer Classic

Louisiana is not known as a hotbed for high school soccer, but former Vandebilt Catholic boys’ soccer coach Doug Hamilton hopes to change that.

As president of the Louisiana High School Soccer Coaches Association, he spearheaded the effort to organize the Inaugural LHSSCA All-Star Classic, which takes place Saturday at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns Track/Soccer Facility.

The girls’ game starts at 4 p.m. The boys’ contest begins at 7 p.m. These are the first high school soccer all-star games in the state.

“This is something our coaches have wanted to do for a long time,” Hamilton said. “We’ve been trying to make soccer a legitimate sport in the high school ranks. We felt if we had an all-star game, we could recognize the very best, some of whom are playing college soccer and at the highest club level.”

Houma will be well represented with seven players and one coach on the West squads.

Chosen for the girls’ team are Terrebonne’s Jessica Herradon and Britni Crone and Vandebilt Catholic’s Cayla Chatman and Allyson Voisin. Lady Terriers girls’ soccer coach Philip Amedee is an assistant coach for the team.

“It just shows the level to which the game has climbed in Terrebonne Parish to have four of 22 girls on the (West) All-Star roster from our area,” Amedee said.”

On the boys’ team are Vandebilt Catholic’s Ethan Himel and Zack Blum and Terrebonne’s Edgar Galindo.

The Tri-parishes could have had nine players in the Classic, but South Terrebonne’s Brock Hebert and E.D. White’s Luke Clement had prior commitments.

The coaches were surprised but thrilled by the number of local talent selected for the All-Star Classic.

“It’s a credit to them and the work they’ve done. We have a few players who will represent this area well,” Hamilton said.

“We have more and more girls participating and signing to colleges and playing the next level, which is quite an accomplishment,” Amedee said.

Over 30 coaches throughout the state helped select the team rosters and coaches for the All-Star Classic. No more than two players from one school were chosen to prevent loading teams with traditional soccer powers like Vandebilt Catholic and Jesuit.

“We wanted to make sure we were representative of the entire state without sacrificing the quality of player that makes the team,” Hamilton said.

For Chatman and Voisin, this can be considered a home game. They both signed scholarship offers to play for the Ragin’ Cajuns next year.

Being teammates will be nothing new for Crone, Herradon and Chatman. They play together on the CSA Carrollton select team based out of New Orleans.

The players seemed excited to take part in the first-ever event.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was four, so I feel like all the hard work has paid off,” Chatman said. “I’ve accomplished what I’ve set out to do all these years.”

“It’s an honor to be considered one of the best in the state,” said Herradon, who along with Crone will play at Nicholls State University next year.

“It’s a big deal to play with some of the best players in Louisiana,” she added. “It’s going to be a good experience and also a great challenge. Hopefully, this All-Star game will continue.”

Getting this first LHSSCA All-Star Classic off the ground took years for Hamilton and the organization to work out.

He spent the last two years on the Louisiana High School Coaches Association executive council meeting and networking with other coaches to get the LHSSCA recognized.

Plus, he drew on the experience of Vandebilt Catholic athletic director and girls’ basketball coach Kathy Luke on how to conduct an all-star game.

“I had to get my ducks in a row for over a year to do this,” Hamilton said. “The biggest challenge was the amount of time me and my two vice presidents needed to contact the players to make sure they committed and got their paperwork in.”

Then Mother Nature threw a curveball when the soccer field at LSU, the originally-planned All-Star Classic site, was damaged during Hurricane Gustav last September. ULL and the LHSSCA finalized the deal to host the event in May.

“We were grateful to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. In the end, our seniors are going to get to play in one of the best venues in Louisiana,” Hamilton said. “I feel good. We’re ready for the event. Inevitably, there’s going to be some details we forget with this first year, but experience is the best teacher.”