Nine from area in all-star soccer game

Nine recent graduates from the area will be lacing up their soccer shoes.

They will be playing in the first Jon Strodtman Central Missouri All-Star Soccer Game at 8 p.m. today at Columbia Soccer Club’s Pride Park.

The soccer game will honor Strodtman, a longtime soccer coach at Hickman High School who passed away this year.

Five Smith-Cotton players will join a pair of Sacred Heart, one Cole Camp and one Smithton athlete to represent the boys West team.

Representing Smith-Cotton one last time will be Adrian Cervantes, Mark Shaw, Ruben Perez, Isai Ramirez and Sam Braverman.

Former Gremlins Ben McMullin and Tyler Warren will also play, along with Cole Camp’s Travis Goosen and Smithton’s Grant Pritchard.

They will be joined by graduates from Rock Bridge, Helias and Moberly.

The five Smith-Cotton players are the most from any school on the West team.

Representing the East team will be players from Hickman (6), Camdenton (3), Southern Boone (7) and one each from Christian Fellowship, Jefferson City and Linn.

A girls game will kick off the evening at 6 p.m., but there are no players from the area scheduled to play.

There is no admission, but donations will be accepted to help support the Strodtman family. For more information, visit the Web site www.midmosoccer.com.