The varsity boys high school soccer season ended with a tragic loss in the semi-final round of playoffs, but the game lives on for senior captain Corban Anderson.

Anderson plays midfield for the Granite Bay High School boys’ varsity soccer team, as well as for his club team at Placer United, committed to the University of Washington earlier in the fall and was also named a Sierra Foothill League All League team member by coaches in the surrounding area last month.

He was recently commissioned to participate in the All-American soccer game, which will take place on December 13 of this year in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Anderson, along with club teammates Luc Barbe, who attends Jesuit High School in Sacramento, and Kristian Heptner, who attends Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, along with two other California players were all accepted into the selection process and then chosen to play with the best of the best in all of high school.

Hundreds of players were nominated by a council of highly respected soccer figures and coaches all over the country, and after the many rounds of selections, two teams of approximately 25 players are specially constructed to represent the east and west coasts.

“My teammate from Jesuit saw our names on a list, and then I received an email about the game,” Anderson said. “We sent in a form with our information and all kinds of accolades about us.”

Boys varsity soccer coach Steve Fischer said that some of the high school coaches are in contact with the selection committee, who had asked him about a number of local players, including Anderson.

“Most of the boys, including the west team have players from back east, so it is quite an honor to be selected for this team that has a very east-coast leaning,” Fischer said. “I think Corban is a very good representative…not just of Granite Bay, but of California soccer.”

The Division I-bound soccer commit said he is very excited to represent the west-coast squad with his fellow teammates, and is looking forward to meeting some of the most highly regarded players and getting the chance to play with them.

High school and club soccer teammate Zach Vane expressed his excitement and pride in Anderson’s All-American nomination.

“I first started playing with Corban five years ago on our club team at Placer, and I’ve played with him every year for Granite Bay,” Vane said. “There is no other player I can think of that has a drive that matches his.”

Vane said despite a few nominations in the past, Granite Bay High School has never before produced an All-American player, which is not only an accomplishment for Anderson, but for the Granite Bay soccer program as a whole.

Despite all of his successes on the field, Anderson is anything but a show-off.

“Corban is so humble even though he is obviously aware that he has earned it,” Vane said. “He is a role model to many people, and I think that is what being an All American is all about.”