Crossingham to play at Yavapai

SANDPOINT — Possessing plenty of both speed and flair, Sandpoint soccer standout Adam Crossingham is advancing from one soccer power to another, signing recently to play at Yavapai College in Prescott, Arizona.

Crossingham, one of the top players in the state of Idaho, will play for the Roughriders, widely regarded as the best junior college program in the country. Both programs boast seven championships at their respective level, and Crossingham is just happy to have the stress of the decision behind him.

The Roughriders have gone 462-34-14 under longtime coach Mike Pantalione and contend for the National Junior College Athletic Association title on an annual basis. Crossingham said the coach is expecting him to jump in and contribute right away, no small task on a team that pipelines players to Division 1 schools and sometimes even the MLS.

“I’m going to play somewhere in the attack,” said Crossingham, who learned about the soccer power while attending a camp at Oregon State. “Nice school, nice weather, I thought I might as well.”

Pantalione recruits all over the U.S., and has had particular success in Idaho, including a player from Meridan who was a key contributor to back-to-back national titles in 2007-08.

“We feel Adam brings the same energy and the desire to succeed as he did,” said Pantalione. “As with all of our recruits, we see Adam using soccer as a means to acquire an education. We are sure he will have success at Yavapai and expect to move him on to a top notch university after his Roughrider days are completed.”

Despite being injured for part of his senior year, Crossingham had an MVP caliber impact on the Bulldogs’ state championship season. He scored eight goals, including a couple of huge ones at state, and even proved to be a shutdown defender when called upon.

He’s spent the last two seasons teaming with Daniel Anderson and Tanner Williams to form one of the most potent scoring attacks in Idaho. His frenetic and slick runs to the goal made for some entertaining and high-octane soccer the past few years.

Adam Tajan, who has been coaching Crossingham in the Strikers program for years, thinks his former player has the chops to make an immediate impact at the college level.

“He’s got all the tools; just a specimen,” said Tajan, who recently took over the Sandpoint boys program. “He’s extremely quick; Brian Farber speed. That’s (Yavapai) a program that can place you in Division 1 right away.”

Crossingham nearly landed at Gonzaga, which also showed a lot of interest, before opting to go the junior college route. He hopes to play soccer as long as he can, whatever level that may be, and paused only briefly before answering what he loved most about soccer.

“The dedication it takes to be a good player,” he responded. “Not anyone can just step out and play soccer, you need to spend the long hours.”