PHS star to play college soccer
Berl Tiskus
Polson High School soccer star James Larson, left, keeps the ball from a Loyola defender during a game last fall.
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POLSON — Sporting a red and white St. Mary’s University of Minnesota jersey, Polson soccer standout James Larson signed his letter of intent to play for SMU on April 25. Larson, son of Lauren and Tom Lipko and the late Joe Larson, has been an all-Montana soccer player for the last two years. St. Mary’s, located in Winona, Minn., is a NCAA Division 3 school in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Larson said he also looked seriously at Kean University in New Jersey, but St. Mary’s offered him a better deal with academic scholarships. Division 3 schools don’t offer athletic scholarships, but they’re known for their academics and community service, according to Lauren.
Jess Kittle, Larson’s high school soccer coach, said, “James leads by example first, and then he is a vocal leader.”
Larson has a great work ethic, Kittle noted, and he’s respected by his peers and as a sportsman. He’s been working on his soccer skills all the way up from youth soccer.
“James has earned everything he’s getting,” Kittle said. “He’s always had a soccer ball on his foot.”
