Boundless energy and enthusiasm permeated Field 1N and the immediate area Saturday at Youth Sports Inc. as the Soccer Stars and Sharks squared off in a 6U Boys-B division showdown. One enthusiastic Soccer Stars player claimed it was a 13-6 victory for the Stars, but while the exact score remained uncertain among players and fans, the Stars were undoubtedly the victors.

That particularly enthusiastic Stars player was young Emaad Gerami, who acted as spokesperson for the team after the game.

“With scoring and kicking the ball really hard we did a really good job today,” Gerami said. “It helps when you’ve been practicing for like 100 hours.”

If practice makes perfect then that many hours certainly had to have helped some. It definitely didn’t take away from their stores of energy. Gerami was joined on the field by a swarm of equally energetic teammates: Jared Lieberman, Lyria Gansop, Liam Van Hoesen and Gabriel Clark among others. The Stars were matched on the field by the Sharks, who, if possible, seemed to feed off their opponents’ energy and matched them stride for stride.

Austin Quick, Nick Clancy and Kylie Hawkins led the Sharks on the field with poise and their foot skills. They butted heads with the Soccer Stars and battled for about an hour on the field before running off to their orange slice post-game snack.

Soccer Stars players Lyria Gansop and Gabriel Clark guard the goal during a break in the action Saturday at Youth Sports Inc. The Soccer Stars played against the Sharks in 6U Boys-B action.

Most of the game consisted of the bunched-up style of play that tends to be indicative of soccer at the 6U age level, but during the instances when the coaches and referees managed to spread everyone out some players really showcased their talent for the sport. Quick made the biggest impact for the Sharks while Van Hoesen displayed the strength of his foot in the open field.

Gerami likened his team’s play to that of England’s premier league team, Manchester United.

“They’re really good, and it’s good for us to play like them,” Gerami said.

Whether they really played like the Mighty Red is subject to debate, but they certainly played with enough heart and determination, plus they wear the same team colors. And if the Soccer Stars are Manchester United then the Sharks had to be Chelsea because they wear blue.

In the end there were no real winners and no real losers, but lots of smiles on the parts of players, coaches, parents and referees alike.