CSA boys take on Butte

It was a bitter ending of the season for the U15 Clark Fork Soccer Alliance, but that didn't stop the kids from cheering with their coaches at the game's end.

The Butte Mining City defeated the Clark Fork Soccer Alliance boys 11-0 at Amundson Sports Complex at Plains on Saturday. Butte had seven wins, four ties and only one loss prior to the start of Saturday's game. The Butte boys were a U16 team and most were taller and bigger than the local players, but that didn't stop the local boys from giving it their all, said coach Michael Scharfe, who co-coaches the team with Adam Franklin, both of Thompson Falls.

It took awhile for the Butte boys to slip one past Clark Fork keeper Tristan Allen, but it was quickly followed with another point. By the end of the 35-minute first half, Butte had five points. Nevertheless, Allen and keepers Clint Weedeman and Brodie Rosenthal had several saves during the game.

Scharfe said his boys worked the ball throughout the game. "They never gave up; they fought to the end," said Scharfe, who has coached since 2018, but this was the first time for he and Franklin to coach a U15 team. The Clark Fork U15 team is comprised of 15 players from Plains and Thompson Falls with a 12-year-old as their youngest player. The team finished the season with four wins and 10 losses and was sponsored by Montana Realty Partners of Thompson Falls.

"We seem to be a second half team," said Scharfe, who gave the kids a pep talk at halftime and told them to "finish strong." The Clark Fork boys did play harder in the second half, communicating and passing better, said Scharfe. He added that the team improved a great deal throughout the season.

"I am so proud of you," said Scharfe. "It was a joy to coach you."