Fox Valley foes unite for good cause
Annual Tri-Cities Classic to benefit boy with Lymphoma
By Alison Moran
While the sports rivalries between Upstate Eight Conference foes St. Charles North, Batavia, St. Charles East and Geneva are well documented, the quartet will put aside their athletic differences for an annual event that unifies the players and coaches and does a good turn in their area.
The Tri-Cities Classic, a benefit supporting community needs, area families and causes, features competition between the four teams for a charitable cause.
This year organizers expect to raise thousands of dollars for a local boy with cancer and the Hands of Hope, a charity that aids the Boys of Sudan. Donations of gently used soccer gear, such as balls, cleats and uniforms will be collected at the event, which takes place Tuesday (October 7) at St. Charles North High School at 255 Red Gate Road, St Charles.
The battle for the historic Fox Trophy, symbolic of the Fox River, begins between Geneva and St. Charles East at 5 p.m. and is follwed by the Batavia-St. Charles North game at 7 p.m.
The Tri-Cities Classic began in 2006. The coaches, St. Charles North Coach Eric Willson, Geneva’s Ryan Estabrook, St. Charles East’s Paul Jennison and Batavia’s Mark Gianfrancesco, organize and promote the event. The goal is to beat the donations of nearly $4,000 they raised last year.
Raising money and getting fans to come out and cheer also raises the level of competition among the teams, but unity and friendship are the keys to a smooth fundraiser.
“The collaboration and teamwork between four coaches that are supposed to be enemies, based on their high school, is unrivaled by any other region in the state,” he said.
That unity will be symbolized by “every player in each program will wear Tri-Cities night T-shirts that look the same, but will be in school colors,” according to Gianfrancesco
This year, the funds will be donated to Drew Hahn, a 13-year-old at Harter Middle School in Kaneland. The eighth grader is a football and basketball basketball player. His father Matt is the varsity baseball coach at Geneva.
Vikings coach Ryan Estabrook is familiar with the teenager's health issues.
"It began with what was believed to be a sports injury," Estabrook said. "After several trips to the emergency room, an appendectomy, the biopsy of some lymph nodes, and other tests, Drew was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma in March, 2014.
"It's a rare form of cancer, especially in children. On August 2nd, Drew came home after completing his last round of chemotherapy at Rush University Hospital in Chicago. While going through his therapy, Drew remained at the hospital for a minimum of five days at a time, or had to visit his oncologist downtown. Although he has completed his treatments, Drew will have follow up screening and tests for years to come.
"Faced with many physical and emotional changes throughout this journey, Drew’s optimism and can-do spirit has been inspiring. Drew’s hope is to return to the athletic field for the Knights as soon as possible. The entire Hahn family continues to be humbled by the outpouring of support."
Last year, the Tri-Cities Classic raised money for Owen Payton, a boy with a heart defect. Gianfrancesco reported that Owen, who was on the donor list, got a heart transplant last year and is doing well.
While the theme of the night is charity, it will still feature high school soccer action at its best. Among the many intriguing athletic questions of the night is whether Batavia’s goal-scoring machine Ian Larson can breach St. Charles North’s staunch defense.
The benefit also offers a glimpse of the future of Fox Valley soccer and its up and coming stars. Eighth graders with hopes of high school soccer stardom will play a halftime “Futures” scrimmage.
“This allows us to include incoming families and players and promote our programs and the high school game," said Gianfrancesco.
The crowd was estimated at 1,000 people last year, and the four coaches hope that the crowd will grow in size this year.
For more information or to make donations, contact the coaches at [email protected]., [email protected], [email protected] or Eric Willson at [email protected].
Annual Tri-Cities Classic to benefit boy with Lymphoma
By Alison Moran
While the sports rivalries between Upstate Eight Conference foes St. Charles North, Batavia, St. Charles East and Geneva are well documented, the quartet will put aside their athletic differences for an annual event that unifies the players and coaches and does a good turn in their area.
The Tri-Cities Classic, a benefit supporting community needs, area families and causes, features competition between the four teams for a charitable cause.
This year organizers expect to raise thousands of dollars for a local boy with cancer and the Hands of Hope, a charity that aids the Boys of Sudan. Donations of gently used soccer gear, such as balls, cleats and uniforms will be collected at the event, which takes place Tuesday (October 7) at St. Charles North High School at 255 Red Gate Road, St Charles.
The battle for the historic Fox Trophy, symbolic of the Fox River, begins between Geneva and St. Charles East at 5 p.m. and is follwed by the Batavia-St. Charles North game at 7 p.m.
The Tri-Cities Classic began in 2006. The coaches, St. Charles North Coach Eric Willson, Geneva’s Ryan Estabrook, St. Charles East’s Paul Jennison and Batavia’s Mark Gianfrancesco, organize and promote the event. The goal is to beat the donations of nearly $4,000 they raised last year.
Raising money and getting fans to come out and cheer also raises the level of competition among the teams, but unity and friendship are the keys to a smooth fundraiser.
“The collaboration and teamwork between four coaches that are supposed to be enemies, based on their high school, is unrivaled by any other region in the state,” he said.
That unity will be symbolized by “every player in each program will wear Tri-Cities night T-shirts that look the same, but will be in school colors,” according to Gianfrancesco
This year, the funds will be donated to Drew Hahn, a 13-year-old at Harter Middle School in Kaneland. The eighth grader is a football and basketball basketball player. His father Matt is the varsity baseball coach at Geneva.
Vikings coach Ryan Estabrook is familiar with the teenager's health issues.
"It began with what was believed to be a sports injury," Estabrook said. "After several trips to the emergency room, an appendectomy, the biopsy of some lymph nodes, and other tests, Drew was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma in March, 2014.
"It's a rare form of cancer, especially in children. On August 2nd, Drew came home after completing his last round of chemotherapy at Rush University Hospital in Chicago. While going through his therapy, Drew remained at the hospital for a minimum of five days at a time, or had to visit his oncologist downtown. Although he has completed his treatments, Drew will have follow up screening and tests for years to come.
"Faced with many physical and emotional changes throughout this journey, Drew’s optimism and can-do spirit has been inspiring. Drew’s hope is to return to the athletic field for the Knights as soon as possible. The entire Hahn family continues to be humbled by the outpouring of support."
Last year, the Tri-Cities Classic raised money for Owen Payton, a boy with a heart defect. Gianfrancesco reported that Owen, who was on the donor list, got a heart transplant last year and is doing well.
While the theme of the night is charity, it will still feature high school soccer action at its best. Among the many intriguing athletic questions of the night is whether Batavia’s goal-scoring machine Ian Larson can breach St. Charles North’s staunch defense.
The benefit also offers a glimpse of the future of Fox Valley soccer and its up and coming stars. Eighth graders with hopes of high school soccer stardom will play a halftime “Futures” scrimmage.
“This allows us to include incoming families and players and promote our programs and the high school game," said Gianfrancesco.
The crowd was estimated at 1,000 people last year, and the four coaches hope that the crowd will grow in size this year.
For more information or to make donations, contact the coaches at [email protected]., [email protected], [email protected] or Eric Willson at [email protected].