Photo by Army National Guard
On Tuesday night Dec. 16, the 4th Annual MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the National Guard found its way to Canton, Mich. to honor the
Canton boys soccer team.
Canton is a town just northeast of Ann Arbor, home of the NCAA Michigan Wolverines. The Chiefs went 24-0-3 this fall, won their state championship, and were ranked 6th in the Nation by MaxPreps.
When MaxPreps and the Michigan Army National Guard arrived on campus, about 300 people had assembled in the gymnasium to watch the junior varsity basketball team play. Members of the cheerleading team were coming and going in their practice uniforms, and we could hear the swim team practicing in the pool across the hall.
Athletic Director Vernon Crump welcomed us to the school and directed us to the table where we displayed the prestigious Army National Guard national ranking trophy before the presentation.
Just before halftime of the varsity basketball game, MaxPreps and the Michigan Army National Guard gathered the members of the boys varsity soccer team in the lobby. Each member of the team received a commemorative MaxPreps Tour of Champions t-shirt.
As the half expired, we all made our way to center court. The PA announcer presented the team with a championship banner and the introduced our part of the presentation. Andy Auclair of MaxPreps stood up and explained to the fans what a rare honor their soccer team had earned.
Then, Sergeant Zach Hein of the Michigan Army National Guard presented head coach Mark Zemanski and team with the prestigious trophy. Afterwards, teammates took turns taking photos with the trophy and banner.
This is an energetic group — coaching staff, boosters, and players — that is bent on producing championship soccer teams at Canton High for years to come. Congratulations and good luck, Chiefs!
