Playing soccer with Sudburnia since the age of  six, thirteen year-old Zakarie Glaude took everything he had learnt in leading his elementary school to back to back championships. 

The Grade 8 student at MacDonald-Cartier showed great determination, competing in the final despite an injured calf.  “He couldn't run, so we told basically to stand around in front of the net…he still managed to redirect balls into the net and he never quit,” said coach Yves Legault. 

Despite recording a hat-trick in the final, Glaude believes there remains work to be done on his game. “I’d like to improve my ball control,” he says. “But, I think the best part of my game is my speed.”

In addition to playing with the Pantheres elementary team, Glaude also suits up competitively with the Italia Flyers of the Northern Regional Soccer League.  His team finished second this summer, competing in several tournaments across Northern Ontario.  

“It was a good experience, but they were pretty long trips,” Glaude admits. “But, we have a lot of players that play competitively, so we have a solid team.” 

The soft-spoken teen, who could stand to be a little more vocal according to Legault, is already a great all-around athlete, taking to the court for both volleyball and basketball, but excels most in soccer. 

Under any scenario, the future looks bright for Zakarie Glaude, at least according to the man who has witnessed first hand his athletic prowess.  “He can definitely play soccer at the high school level, but it all depends on him if he wants to pursue the sport,” says Legault. “I think he can play at the university level, no problem, if he continues to develop and show the progress he’s shown so far.”