Tri-Cities Night more than just soccer
2017 event to benefit Carrie Riley Black Fund
By Paul LaTour
Usually this late in a season, games can feel more like postseason tuneups unless the teams are competing for a conference title.
But even without an Upstate Eight Conference River Division title at stake for the 2017 Tri-Cities Night, the games are anything but meaningless. That’s because the event is more a fundraising event to help a member of the community rather than just a doubleheader between the four neighboring schools -- Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
This year’s event, which benefits the Carrie Riley Black Fund, kicks off when St. Charles East (5-9-4, 2-2-1) faces Geneva (10-4-3, 2-2-1) at 5 p.m., followed by the host North Stars (10-2-4, 2-1-2) against Batavia (6-11-2, 1-3-1) at 7. Black is the daughter of St. Charles North freshman coach Chuck Riley.
Black, a 1981 graduate of St. Charles High School, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2010 and continues chemotherapy.
“I’ve had Chuck and his family in mind to be the fundraiser recipient for some time because they really are the essence of Tri-City soccer,” North Stars coach Eric Wilson said, adding that Riley has direct connections with both the Geneva and both St. Charles programs.
“They’ve been dealing with this battle for a long time, so I thought this was a good opportunity to help. This family represents more than St. Charles North; they really do represent the Tri-Cities area.”
Black played soccer throughout high school and also played basketball for the Saints. Her oldest son, Justin, played soccer at North and graduated in 2004. Her parents served as coaches and referees for decades.
Tri-Cities Night, with its fundraising and community-building aspects, has always been special to Chuck Riley, who has coached at St. Charles North for 15 years. This year it is even more so.
“I’ve always had a warm feeling about it,” Riley said. “You’re always just glad to be part of it and glad to be promoting it. Now that it’s our daughter’s turn, all we can say is we’re grateful.”
Riley said his daughter is doing well, but the medical expenses associated with a long-term battle with cancer are extensive. Fortunately, he said the bills haven’t overwhelmed his daughter’s family, but the debt is a burden.
“Anybody who has cancer and has gone through surgeries and major chemotherapy and radiation is going to have an accumulation of medical bills. Anything that generates on her behalf will be a help,” he said.
This year’s edition will be the first for two of the four coaches. Coach Vince DiNuzzo came from Bartlett to take the position at St. Charles East, while Geneva’s Jason Bhatta stepped into the top role at the program after two years as an assistant.
For DiNuzzo, the preparations and buildup for the event has been an eye-opening experience.
“I knew nothing about it when starting, but now that I’m in it and hearing about it and seeing how excited the kids are, it’s awesome,” DiNuzzo said. “It’s a conference game that we’re playing, but with all the added hype and all the people coming from the community, there’s so much that goes into it. We’re all pretty excited about this day. It’s kind of cool to get out there and play for something.”
Bhatta said he’s been impressed with the level of commitment and engagement the players give to it, as well as the administrations and coaching staffs of the schools.
“It’s just really cool to see all the programs come together to play for something bigger than the teams and soccer,” Bhatta said.
Batavia coach Mark Giafransesco, who jokingly referred to himself as the “elder statesman” of Tri-Cities soccer, said Bhatta and DiNuzzo jumped right in with the event. Planning began for this year’s event during the summer, shortly after Bhatta and DiNuzzo were hired.
“The new guys stepped right in -- they’re on board,” Giafransesco said. “We all want to compete, and we all want to win, but we’re there also to help each other. It’s unusual for coaches to have that kind of relationship with rivals.”
2017 event to benefit Carrie Riley Black Fund
By Paul LaTour
Usually this late in a season, games can feel more like postseason tuneups unless the teams are competing for a conference title.
But even without an Upstate Eight Conference River Division title at stake for the 2017 Tri-Cities Night, the games are anything but meaningless. That’s because the event is more a fundraising event to help a member of the community rather than just a doubleheader between the four neighboring schools -- Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
This year’s event, which benefits the Carrie Riley Black Fund, kicks off when St. Charles East (5-9-4, 2-2-1) faces Geneva (10-4-3, 2-2-1) at 5 p.m., followed by the host North Stars (10-2-4, 2-1-2) against Batavia (6-11-2, 1-3-1) at 7. Black is the daughter of St. Charles North freshman coach Chuck Riley.
Black, a 1981 graduate of St. Charles High School, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2010 and continues chemotherapy.
“I’ve had Chuck and his family in mind to be the fundraiser recipient for some time because they really are the essence of Tri-City soccer,” North Stars coach Eric Wilson said, adding that Riley has direct connections with both the Geneva and both St. Charles programs.
“They’ve been dealing with this battle for a long time, so I thought this was a good opportunity to help. This family represents more than St. Charles North; they really do represent the Tri-Cities area.”
Black played soccer throughout high school and also played basketball for the Saints. Her oldest son, Justin, played soccer at North and graduated in 2004. Her parents served as coaches and referees for decades.
Tri-Cities Night, with its fundraising and community-building aspects, has always been special to Chuck Riley, who has coached at St. Charles North for 15 years. This year it is even more so.
“I’ve always had a warm feeling about it,” Riley said. “You’re always just glad to be part of it and glad to be promoting it. Now that it’s our daughter’s turn, all we can say is we’re grateful.”
Riley said his daughter is doing well, but the medical expenses associated with a long-term battle with cancer are extensive. Fortunately, he said the bills haven’t overwhelmed his daughter’s family, but the debt is a burden.
“Anybody who has cancer and has gone through surgeries and major chemotherapy and radiation is going to have an accumulation of medical bills. Anything that generates on her behalf will be a help,” he said.
This year’s edition will be the first for two of the four coaches. Coach Vince DiNuzzo came from Bartlett to take the position at St. Charles East, while Geneva’s Jason Bhatta stepped into the top role at the program after two years as an assistant.
For DiNuzzo, the preparations and buildup for the event has been an eye-opening experience.
“I knew nothing about it when starting, but now that I’m in it and hearing about it and seeing how excited the kids are, it’s awesome,” DiNuzzo said. “It’s a conference game that we’re playing, but with all the added hype and all the people coming from the community, there’s so much that goes into it. We’re all pretty excited about this day. It’s kind of cool to get out there and play for something.”
Bhatta said he’s been impressed with the level of commitment and engagement the players give to it, as well as the administrations and coaching staffs of the schools.
“It’s just really cool to see all the programs come together to play for something bigger than the teams and soccer,” Bhatta said.
Batavia coach Mark Giafransesco, who jokingly referred to himself as the “elder statesman” of Tri-Cities soccer, said Bhatta and DiNuzzo jumped right in with the event. Planning began for this year’s event during the summer, shortly after Bhatta and DiNuzzo were hired.
“The new guys stepped right in -- they’re on board,” Giafransesco said. “We all want to compete, and we all want to win, but we’re there also to help each other. It’s unusual for coaches to have that kind of relationship with rivals.”