Kai Longanecker wins Far West Championship with Idaho ODP state team

MESA, Ariz. — As part of the 17U Idaho Youth Soccer Association’s ‘Olympic Development Program’ state team, Sandpoint High’s Kai Longanecker won the 2024 Far West ODP Championships held Jan. 5-8 at Legacy Park, Arizona’s Premier Sports & Entertainment Complex.

If you are familiar with Sandpoint High boys' soccer, you probably have heard of rising star goalkeeper Kai Longanecker, who was an integral part of this years’ run at the state championship where the Bulldogs finished second. For Kai, there wasn’t much of an offseason, as he got right back to work competing against some of the best players in the nation.

At the 2024 Far West ODP Championships, 16 different states were represented: Alaska, Arizona, Cal North, Cal South, Colorado, Eastern Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Idaho went 5-0 to come away with the championship. The team defeated Arizona 3-1, Alaska 4-1, New Mexico 3-1, Iowa 3-0 in the semifinals, and Eastern Pennsylvania 4-1 in the championship. 

At the tournament, Kai showed why he is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the state of Idaho. Against Iowa in the semifinals, the game went to penalty kicks and Kai didn’t concede a single goal. Iowa’s first shot sailed over the crossbar, and Kai saved the next two… the second was referred to as miraculous by Albion SC Idaho’s Director of Soccer, Lawson Tate, who happened to be attending the tournament with Vann Tate, who was invited to play as a guest on the Montana 15U ODP state team.

Tate, who is a very involved member of the soccer community in Sandpoint, said Kai is modest, even keel and plays consistently — with a fiery passion.

“He came up with some huge saves in the semi’s and in the finals,” Tate said. “This is a very prestigious, storied tournament that attracts all the Western states and occasionally Midwest and Eastern programs as well. Coaches and scouts nominate and select the ODP regional pool from this event. Regional teams compete and then the refinement process of regionals produces a national team for each birth year. It is rare for a Sandpoint kid to get to this level and experience this kind of success coupled with this kind of exposure.”

To learn more about the U.S.’s Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program, visit https://www.usyouthsoccer.org/olympic-development-program-boys/