CORVALLIS – It is perhaps fitting Cayden Ayers wears a beard.

Much like his play on the soccer pitch, his facial hair makes him look mature beyond his years. He may still be a boy for another year or so, but he competes and leads like a man for the defending state champion Corvallis boys' soccer team.

That's most evident in his attitude about the trappings of individual success. He may be the top male goal scorer in Class A with 24 tallies, but that's not what drives the junior.

"I have been known to shoot a little bit but it feels so much better to assist than to score," said Ayers, who dished out a state record 12 helpers last season and has 11 this year heading into the playoffs. "If you assist, it's way better.

"With this team, everybody looks for everybody. It's not a selfish team. It's me and Emmett (Semple) looking for each other. The two foreigners, Juan (Pablo Juarez) and Rutger (Klein) looking for each other. Or everybody else doing the same thing."

***

Ayers, whose 11-1 squad will start down the tourney trail Saturday with a noon quarterfinal against visiting Livingston, will tell you his older brother, Cameron Ayers, has everything to do with his soccer success. The two played together in high school back in 2013 before Cameron moved away to play for NAIA Sheridan College in Wyoming.

"I've played other sports," noted Cayden, who also serves as the place-kicker for the Corvallis varsity football team. "But soccer has been my No. 1 and part of the reason is sibling rivalry.

"Cameron and I fought all the time, so it was just like we were butting heads. It pushed me to go out and practice. I remember Dave (Molesh) was my brother's soccer coach for the 18-year-olds and I was a 12-year-old going out there and playing with everybody. It just pushed me to get better, more physical, more everything."

Cayden wants to play in college like his brother. It drives him to push the limits in ways most prep athletes wouldn't consider.

"He stays after practice most days just to practice his shooting," Corvallis coach Greg Shifflett said. "He's now learning how to score from different ways rather than just run after the ball and breakaway scoring. He's learned how to set his shots up and use his teammates to get his shot. He's becoming quite a player."

Cayden's talent and team-first attitude were on full display last week in the Blue Devils' win at Loyola Sacred Heart to close out the regular season. He had three assists in the first 10 minutes, showing his exceptional peripheral vision on one occasion and his strong foot on another.

He's especially dangerous around the goal because of his shooting accuracy with his feet and his head. He's also a shining example that you don't have to be fast as greased lightning to excel on the pitch.

"It's his tenacity more than anything," Shifflett said. "He grinds it out up top.

"He's not a really big kid so most defenders have a size advantage over him. He has to really work for the goals he gets, especially if his back is to the goal. He has defenders leaning on him all the time but he expects to play at a high level every minute and he just doesn't give up."

Perhaps the best thing Shifflett could say about Cayden is that the junior reminds him of a prep he used to coach in Georgia by the name of Kelley O'Hara. You may remember the name -- she helped the United States women's soccer team win the World Cup this past summer.

***

There's more to Cayden's beard than just personal preference. It all started last season on the eve of the Blue Devils' first game.

"Last year I made a bet with Emmett," Ayers said of his teammate and friend, Semple. "I said I'll either score or assist in the first game. If not I won't shave the whole season.

"Sure enough I hit the crossbar twice in the first game, didn't assist, didn't score and wound up having the beard the whole season. They thought since I kept it all season when we won state last year, that's why I need to keep it this year."

Defending a title can be a lot more difficult than garnering that first one. Cayden and his teammates have worn a big target on their backs all season and handled it relatively well.

Their only loss came way back in September against Belgrade. That's the same Panthers that beat the Blue Devils early in the regular season last year before Corvallis regrouped and exacted revenge in a thrilling state final that went to a shootout.

"Greg (Shifflett) is a big part of it," Ayers stressed. "He's just an amazing coach.

"With Justin Cantanach as our first-year goalie, he's stepped up and he has obviously showed how good he is by having seven clean sheets. And that's helped by defense. Our defense has been amazing."

The one-two scoring punch of Ayers and Semple has also been critical to Corvallis' success, which includes a perfect 8-0 record in Southern A action. Together the duo has piled up 41 goals and 23 assists.

"I really like the way we find each other on the field," Semple said. "He's looking for me, I'm looking for him. The whole team looks for each other and we find each other well. We've always kind of had the chemistry as a unit."

Shifflett echoed Semple's thoughts.

"What I like mostly is our team camaraderie," the second-year skipper said. "The boys do lots of things away from the field together. They support the volleyball team together. They like each other. They're like a bunch of brothers.

"That really helps when you're playing a game on the field. Sometimes they talk to each other like brothers do (chuckle). But I think the cohesiveness of our team is what impresses me the most. Yes they're talented, but you can have a lot of talented kids and if they don't work together it's just three or four talented kids. These guys play together."

Winning a second straight state title is going to be tough for the Blue Devils with teams like Belgrade and Billings Central standing in their way. Ayers and his pals plan on taking it one match at a time and leaning on one another, knowing full well there's strength in numbers.

"I don't want to jinx it," Ayers offered, "but I think we have a good core group and we could go far again."

After the Billings Central soccer teams put the wrap on another dominant weekend, coach Didier Ndedi reflected on his new role as head coach of both the boys and girls squads.

“I get very tired at the end of the day, but it’s fun,” said the native of Cameroon, his words bent by a thick accent. “My voice gets affected after two games because it’s not that easy if I have to help them in the field. I have to use my voice and I can be very loud. At the end of the day after two games, yes, I feel like I don’t need to talk anymore.

"But it’s very, very fun. That’s what keeps me running because it’s fun being around those kids. It’s worth it for me to spend that time.”

Ndedi is in his fourth year as the Rams’ boys coach, but this is his first season helming both teams. He’s off to a perfect start: Combined the teams are 8-0 with six shutouts.

On Saturday, the boys beat Columbia Falls 4-0 at Wendy’s Field at Rocky Mountain College. That came on the heels of Friday’s 5-2 triumph over Libby.

Central’s girls handed Columbia Falls a 7-0 defeat on Saturday, one day after a 9-0 thumping of Libby. Forward Mariah Wittman had seven goals in the two victories.

Ndedi has taken over a girls’ program that has dominated Class A in the past seven seasons, winning six state championships under previous coaches Laurie Stergar and Sara Campbell. Wittman said the girls are adapting to Ndedi’s style, which can come off as intimidating because of his boisterous and intense demeanor.

But it’s only on the surface.

“He says, ‘I’m mean, but I like you girls. I’ll be nice to you girls,’” Wittman said with a laugh. “He might look intimidating but he really has a soft heart.

“He’s definitely different than what we’re used to, but we love him. He really preaches simplicity and moving the ball and unselfish play. We’re adapting to it really well, and I think it’s his influence. What we’ve done this year has really come from him because he’s changed our style of play.”

Both the boys and girls teams are utilizing a three-defender system this year in an effort to boost offense and control the middle of the field.

It’s working to this point. Combined, the teams have given up just three goals through eight total games.

Ndedi said his boys team is full of “really young and enthusiastic kids who are willing to learn together. In possessing the ball they seem to be looking good because they are working on it.”

Christian Zygmond had two goals and an assist in the win against Columbia Falls on Saturday. Pat Comstock had a goal and two assists, while Josh Bundy added a goal.

Wittman had a hat-trick for the girls against C-Falls on Saturday, while Julianna Arellano had two goals. Olivia Hanser added a goal and two assists.

“The girls have been adjusting very well,” Ndedi said. “First by the system I’ve been using. It’s different than what they were doing before. In the beginning we had some struggles understanding it but now they seem to be liking it and they understand it more.”

Will the wait be worth it?

Billings Central’s and Laurel’s soccer teams will find out when they take the long trip west early Friday morning for matches against Hamilton and Missoula Loyola.

What were supposed to be season-opening matches in Frenchtown and Stevensville last weekend were instead among the casualties of the wildfire smoke that hung around much of Montana. While the state’s other Class A teams were busy getting their kicks, the Rams and Locomotives stayed home.

“It was kind of a blessing in disguise,” Laurel boys coach Leroy Vanderpool said Wednesday. “I think all the coaches would agree they need a lot more time to get their teams prepared.”

While Laurel’s girls open defense of their first state championship this weekend, and Central’s boys and girls will begin what’s expected to be strong runs at state titles, Vanderpool’s Locomotives are trying to find their way.

Vanderpool, who moved to Billings three years ago from Washington, is in the second season of what he calls his three-year plan. Last season, his first, was about him getting to know the program, its players and the Laurel community. And they him.

It was also about trying to break the program’s losing mentality, he said. The Locos went 1-6-4, but Vanderpool took the ties as victories of sorts.

Now, Year 2 is about improving technically and tactically. Vanderpool said his team is on that path.

A win Friday against Loyola, a team that allowed 14 goals in two losses last weekend, might not give Vanderpool and the Locomotives many answers. But it will be a start.

“We’re trying to step on the field and just not stop,” Vanderpool said.

It is, in purpose, a fundraiser for Shodair Children’s Hospital.

But for most of those chosen to play in the Shodair Soccer Classic, Saturday also offered the chance to take the field one last time. For some, it meant the end of a chapter in their soccer career -- their last high school game. For others, however, the afternoon at Nelson Stadium marked the end of their soccer story. And, for a few, it served to stoke the competitive fire for their final high school season.

“It was just an honor to play in something that’s so big for Montana,” said Missoula Sentinel grad Lexi Steele of the West team. “We’ve had a blast. The girls are awesome and it’s for a good cause. For all of the girls out here, we’re really glad we could be out here and be a part of that.”

Of course, playing for a good cause or not, going out with a win is always preferred. And that’s what happened for the East girls, rallying with three second-half goals to win for the third consecutive year, 3-2. In the boys game, the East peppered shot after shot at the West goal. Hellgate senior-to-be Peter Byrne was up to the task, but the one shot he let get past was the difference in a 1-0 East win.

Steele’s soccer story was among the more interesting on Saturday. A member of Sentinel’s back-to-back-to-back State AA girls basketball championships, the multi-sport standout will be back in the Capital City and on the Carroll campus in just two weeks. She will then start working with coach Rachelle Sayers and the Saints’ basketball team. But that doesn’t mean that she’s completely done with soccer.

“I’m coming to Carroll for basketball, but hopefully I’ll be training with their soccer team in the spring, too; and I’ll be doing some music,” the 5-foot-4 Steele said. “I’m happy that I get to do a lot of different things.”

Steele provided grit throughout for the West, and after the East had scored a third second-half goal, she provided a spark with just over five minutes to play. Bumping, weaving and jumping over defenders, Steele sent home a point-blank shot that pulled her team to within one.

The West wasn’t done pushing. With seconds to play, Helena’s Erin Emanuel made an inspired run down the right side, fighting through defenders and letting loose a shot. Her attempt sailed wide, and seconds later the final whistle sounded.

For the always-competitive Emanuel, it was a frustrating miss.

“I knew it was gonna be our last chance, and I was being out too far ahead of myself,” she said, shaking her head. “I should have taken a few more touches. But we did what we could. I’m not gonna lose sleep over it.

“We came into it knowing we had nothing to lose, so I think that helped. And we all had a lot of fun.”

For Emanuel, a household name among Helena-area prep sports fans, the game was her last on a soccer field. She will be attending Southern Idaho in the fall, where she will continue her athletic career with softball.

There will certainly be future chances to play intramurals, or for club teams, or even the random, weekend pickup game. But that won’t be this.

“Yeah, it’s … it’s gonna be different,” she said. “It’s gonna be a lot different, just being without all my friends. So this was a really fun experience, and it was great to go out with such a fun group of girls.”

It was definitely a fun first half for the West, which carried a 1-0 lead into halftime after an early goal by Helena High’s Jennifer Fife. Another West goal minutes later was nullified by an offsides call.

The East had multiple quality chances throughout the contest and finally made one pay with just under 29 minutes to play when Billings Skyview’s Caylin Cathey snuck one in to tie it up.

Allie McGrath of Laurel scored six minutes later, before Cathey -- who will play soccer for the University of Mary -- sprinted in wide past a pair of defenders and nailed a sharp-angle shot from in close to make it 3-1.

“I was a little disappointed with myself in the first half,” said Cathey, named the game’s MVP. “I had two great passes and just shanked em both. Rob (Zimmerman) talked to me about instead of me staying close in to the central circle and then making my runs, to come out wide and kind of Nike swoosh it in. And that, I guess, worked a little bit.”

The boys played in the nightcap, and the game was intense from the start.

Both sides had some stellar chances, but each also saw equally stellar play by their keepers.

The East, though, managed to sneak a lone goal in when CMR’s Ben Evans gathered a rebound that shot off the post and sent it into the top of the net eight minutes in.

“I’d take this game over an 8-0, doing-nothing game any day of the week. I love this stuff,” said Byrne, who was named the game’s MVP despite the loss. “But, just that one. I’ve gotta practice to make that one next time. He placed it really nice. Ben Hietala hit a nice shot off the post -- I thought it was in, honestly -- and it came off and he just finished it. Nothing I could really do.”

The West nearly mirrored the goal midway through the half, a shot ricocheting hard off the post, straight to the foot of another attacker. The rebound attempt, though, flew just wide.

The back-and-forth play continued through the second half. The West made a push in the final minutes, and had a pair of quality chances. The final came with under 30 seconds to play, when Hellgate’s Peter Vandam broke through the defense, turned and ripped a shot at the bottom corner. A scrambling foot save stopped the ball at the post, however, sealing the East’s win.

“It was really intense and fast-paced. And we played them pretty close,” Capital’s Eli Walker said. “It was a really close game; I enjoyed it.”

For Walker, the game capped his soccer career. He will soon be attending Boise State and, while he plans to get in some club soccer, his competitive soccer days are through.

His keeper, though, isn’t quite done yet.

“I’m so excited for high school season,” Byrne said. “We lost last year in the state finals, to Bozeman, and I want to get it this year. That’s the goal this year: Get the championship.”

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Shodair Soccer Classic a champions’ reunion

Mark D. Robertson9:27 p.m. MDT July 25, 2015

(Photo: TRIBUNE PHOTO/MARK D. ROBERTSON)

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HELENA – Several months after winning the first prep soccer state championship in the history of Great Falls, the four senior girls at C.M. Russell High were gathered around a table in the school cafeteria.

Nothing unusual about that scene; Lindsay Martinez, Payton Netz, Lindsy Pyette and Talya Vaira ate lunch together every day.

But this particular day, those girls all had something to share.

“We all turned and flipped out our letters,” Netz recalled, referring to an invitation to play in the Shodair Soccer Classic, Montana’s all-star soccer game for graduated seniors.

They would play together one last time.

“And then Lindsy saw Rob’s tweet,” Netz added.

Rob Zimmerman, whose last game as a Rustler was that state championship win over Bozeman in early November, would be their coach one last time.

So of course the East squad for which the Rustler girls played and Zimmerman coached couldn’t settle for anything less than a win, and that’s what the ladies did, taking a 3-2 decision over the West all-stars Saturday at Carroll College’s Nelson Stadium. Vaira assisted on one of Billings Skyview star Caylin Cathey’s two goals. Laurel’s Allie McGrath netted the third East goal.

For two of the female CMR grads — Pyette and Martinez — it was the last time they’ll play soccer competitively. Martinez, also a state champion on the tennis court, is bound for Princeton University and the rigors of an Ivy League classroom. Pyette also chose the large-school route and will head to Arizona State University in less than a month.

“It was super bittersweet,” Pyette said. “I think we’re both really excited for college, but it was definitely hard stepping on the pitch with some of our best friends for the last time.”

Martinez said the Shodair, an event benefiting the Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena, met all her expectations.

“I had a blast these last three days,” she said. “I was really looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint. Having practice and meeting everyone was really fun. I’m sad. I’m going to miss these guys.”

The three-day affair included a children’s soccer camp run by the players, a tour of the hospital and, of course, the soccer games.

“Lindsay and I have always been into volunteering,” Pyette said, “so it’s fun to get to play the game you love and give back at the same time.”

Vaira and Netz are both on to college careers at Carroll. It was their first game on the pitch on which they’ll play many a game the next four years. Sitting on the bench—an unfamiliar feeling for any of the Rustler seniors in recent memory — toward the end of the Shodair, the pair talked about looking forward to upcoming careers.

“This is weird,” Netz remembered saying.

Lexi Steele had never known life without athletics.

Soccer and basketball were as present as autumn, winter and spring for as long as she could remember. But high school graduation this spring, the end of all-state sessions for Missoula Sentinel, provided a natural breaking point in the relationship.

Did she really want to keep playing?

"Maybe I'd do just school because I've never not done sports," she remembered thinking as friends and classmates decided on their next steps for college.

Her sporting hiatus didn't last long, though.

"I woke up one morning and ya know what? No, I'm not done," she said. "I've got a couple more years in me."

Late in the game, Steele latched back on with Carroll College, one of her top choices prior to this spring's soul-searching. She committed June 1 to join the Saints' basketball team come winter and work out with the soccer team in the spring, too.

But first, she got a chance to play both sports in Helena -- one (or two) last stab at the games as a high school star.

Steele competed in hoops in the Big Sky State Games last weekend and will next represent western Montana in the Shodair Soccer Classic this Saturday.

***

Despite her inclusion in the all-star soccer game this summer, Steele is probably best known for her exploits on the hardwood.

She was part of Sentinel's stretch of three straight State AA basketball championships from 2012-14, a starter at point guard for the latter two while one of the first two players off the bench as a freshman on the former.

"Lexi was huge; she's just tough as nails," said Sentinel basketball coach Karen Deden. "She was a lot like Liv (Olivia Roberts) and Maddie (Keast) in the sense they can play with kids who are stronger and they play stronger."

Roberts and Keast each spring-boarded their time in purple and gold into NCAA Division-I college scholarships -- Roberts at Wyoming and Keast with the Lady Griz -- but Deden will argue her more petite point guard played just as crucial a role in the Sentinel dynasty.

"Liv played like she was 6-2. Lexi played like she was 5-9," Deden said.

Like sports, short-stature living is another constant companion for Steele. She's 5-foot-4 -- with shoes on -- and near the shortest player on most of those Sentinel teams.

Luckily she had speed and strength to fall back on.

"I feel like when you're this small, you have to find things you're good at and keep growing at them," she said.

Steele averaged 4.1 points per game as a junior with 3.8 assists on a team full of future college players, but became the only senior with varsity experience on the 2014-15 squad. She scored 5.7 ppg with 3.8 apg and grew into the team's second-leading rebounder at 4.2 rpg.

But she scored when needed, leading the Spartans with 22 points in a win at Great Falls CMR early in the season.

"With Lexi at the helm, they were able to bring out their best and not make those freshman mistakes you'd normally see," Deden said of Steele's leadership abilities.

Steele, on the other hand, is just as quick to credit Deden's work for Sentinel's 19-5 record and another trip to state.

"Deden is just an amazing coach. She can coach any team you give her," Steele said, before turning her attention to the championship outlook of Sentinel's still young squad. "They should definitely be in that Saturday night game sometime soon."

***

Steele notched a pair of goals and two assists for Sentinel's state-bound soccer team last fall, but primarily used her speed to help set up the Spartans' three other offensive threats -- underclassmen Libby Walker, Brittany Delridge and Sydnie Steele.

Syd, of course, is Lexi's sister, two years her junior.

Syd got a handful of minutes coming up from JV during the basketball season, but their time together in the fall on the pitch felt like the end of their joint playing days, Lexi said. Until she decided to try track.

The elder Steele, having never done the sport, went out for her senior season and expected to be a thrower. She's compact and powerful, she said, perfect to huck a javelin or discus.

Instead Lexi ended up on Sentinel's 400-meter relay team, one of the top four fastest sprinters covering 100 meters. And guess who else was on said relay foursome.

"We did our times and we were on the same relay team!" Lexi said of sister Syd. "The highlight of my high school career was running track my senior year with my sister and my two cousins, (Cy Steele and Alec Steele)."

Though the state golds and bronze -- Sentinel took third in soccer her freshman year -- were nice, it was a perfect way to end a high school career, she added. Now her time at Carroll is just on the horizon.

Steele said the school fits her perfectly. It has both basketball and soccer opportunities, a music program and seems to be the perfect size for her liking. Plus her good grades loaded the student-athlete up with academic scholarship money.

The only major thing on her crammed calendar before college is this week's Shodair Classic, a game in which she'll team up with five Helena High girls for the first time since the Bengals eliminated the Spartans at last year's state soccer tourney.

After the Shodair comes a chance to rest. And one last two-week stretch to spend with her family in Missoula.

"I've been out of town more than I've been in town this summer," she laughed.

Sounds like good practice for that busy upcoming college slate.

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Thom Bridge, Independent Record

The East’s Chance Coleman of Stevensville, right, heads the ball downfield

during the 2014 Shodair Soccer Classic at Nelson Stadium.

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