Griz signee named Gatorade Player of the Year
2/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Feb. 21, 2014
Maddy Emerick, who signed a National Letter of Intent with the Grizzlies earlier this month, was named the 2013 Gatorade Montana Girls' Soccer Player of the Year recently. Emerick is a senior at Billings Senior High School.
Emerick, a 5' 5" midfielder, was one of 13 players Griz soccer coach Mark Plakorus signed to NLIs two weeks ago.
The award recognizes not only athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and the demonstration of exemplary character on and off the field.
"It's pretty neat to be recognized as the best player in your state," said Plakorus, who will have two Gatorade Montana Players of the Year on his fall roster.
"To be one of just 50 in the country who play this game and receive this award, it's pretty special and says a lot about Maddy as a player and how hard she's worked to get to this level."
Scott and Cecilia Emerick will have both of their kids playing college soccer in the state next fall. Kyle, who has 10 career goals and seven assists as a midfielder for MSU Billings, will be a senior next fall for the Yellowjackets.
"Maddy wants to challenge herself and really push to reach her full potential as a player. She plays anytime she can, even with her brother and his friends. She's always looking for a place to play, and that's one of the things that's made her the player she is right now," Plakorus said.
"That's what drew me to her, but I also like that there's a lot more she can get better at. There's another level I think she can reach. I think we'll really see her grow as a player once she gets here, so she is going to fit in really well with who we are and what we do."
Emerick led the Lady Broncs to a 13-1-1 record last fall and the Class AA state championship. It was Emerick's fourth straight appearance in the Montana state title match. Senior High was the 2011 champion and finished runner-up in 2010 and 2012.
Emerick scored 10 goals and had seven assists her senior season. One of those assists set up the lone goal in the Lady Broncs' 1-0 victory over Helena High in the state championship match in November. She was a two-time first-team all-state selection and finished her career with 24 goals and 20 assists.
Emerick has maintained a B-plus average in the classroom while also performing as a cellist in the Billings Senior High Philharmonic Orchestra. She has volunteered locally with a youth literacy-outreach program and as a youth soccer coach and referee.
"Maddy was the most dominant center-mid in the state this year," said her high school coach, Megan Parish. "Maddy sees the game and passes the ball as well as any girl in the state."
Emerick, who also has won a pair of age-group state championships while playing for the Magic City Soccer Club, is the fifth winner of the award, which has been handed out since 1997, to continue her playing career at Montana.
Liz Roberts, a midfielder/forward, won the state's first Gatorade Player of the Year award in 1997. Wendy Stuker, a defender, won in 1998 and 1999. Both played at Helena's Capital High.
Roberts finished her Griz career with 15 goals and 11 assists and was twice named first-team All-Big Sky Conference. Stuker was a three-time first-team All-Big Sky selection and the Big Sky's Defensive MVP in 2003 and 2004.
Lily Coble, a forward from Polson, was the 2002 winner. She was a second-team All-Big Sky performer for the Grizzlies as a sophomore in 2004.
Savannah Witt, the 2011 winner at Billings West High, is currently a member of the Grizzlies. Because of injury she has yet to play a match for Montana. She will be a redshirt sophomore in the fall.
