Marmion's Cadet Challenge about much more than lacrosse

Marmion lacrosse coach Kevin Griffin calls the charitable aspect of the Cadet Challenge Lacrosse Tournament "a heartwarming thing."

He can use that.

Were he writing this item he'd concentrate solely on the tons of food the Challenge has gathered and donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva and Loaves & Fishes Community Services in Naperville in the tournament's eight years.

Or the efforts of this year's Marmion lacrosse co-captains Chris Ivie, Jack Scanlan, Alex Juriga, Jared Weaver and Brodie Malatt to get their teammates to hit the streets and raid their own homes with food collection bags.

Griffin would prefer to highlight Diann and John Witte, the husband-and-wife management team of the Cadet Challenge, which on May 9 will bring 14 programs - including Batavia, Geneva and West Aurora - for a one-day tournament on five fields at the Aurora campus.

The coach is effusive in praise of Marmion principal and head of school Anthony Tinerella's support of the sport, which this year will also bring college coaches to the Challenge to survey the talent on varsity, junior varsity and frosh-soph levels, plus representatives from the New Wave LAX and River City lacrosse feeder programs.

Griffin obviously appreciates his full-time employer in Naperville, Reebie Storage & Moving Company, an agent of Allied Van Lines. The company's Move For Hunger program, which works to support Marmion's drive, donates hundreds of thousands of pounds of food annually.

In 2014 according to Naperville branch executive vice president Kevin Licata on the company website, Allied donated the most food of any relocation company - and of them Reebie in Naperville donated the most of any Allied location in the country, 80,007 pounds. Reebie will have a truck at the Cadet Challenge for additional donations of nonperishable, canned goods from participating teams and fans.

Griffin noted that the ship really came in regarding the Challenge's food donations when Kevin and Janet Matthews found out about it through their son, Andrew, a former Cadets player who now is a freshman goaltender at Missouri Valley College.

The Matthews are prominent employees in St. Charles Trading, Inc., a company based in Batavia that specializes in ingredient supply chain management, distributing food ingredients nationally and around the world. Griffin said that in the three years St. Charles Trading has been involved the company has contributed about 2,000 pounds annually.

"It's fantastic, and it just continues to grow every year," Griffin said of the Challenge's food donation efforts.

"It's really about developing these boys into astute young men, it's not just about lacrosse," he said. "They see how fortunate they are, especially Marmion students. It's a private, Catholic school. They are very fortunate and privileged."

In recent years Griffin has had cause to think about things like this. He's been battling colon cancer for most of the last six years and, though the disease went into remission in 2011, it has since returned.

He had emergency surgery last November because, he said, chemotherapy treatments burned two holes in his intestines. That was one of his seven major surgeries to go along with 10 full sets of chemotherapy treatments and six radiation treatments.

"They didn't expect me to pull through that (intestine surgery) and for the love of God I did," said Griffin, married to wife Kim with St. Ambrose University students, Liam and Troy. Liam is a freshman attack at St. Ambrose University in Iowa, joining area players Max Jaeger, Mike O'Neil, Kevin Murphy and his former Marmion classmate Dane Sikic.

Kevin Griffin, a Canadian import, is in the midst of a current round of four chemotherapy treatments, one every two weeks including last Friday, April 24. They make him feel rotten for days after, but the treatments are having a positive affect, he said.

"I'm back coaching the lacrosse team because I want to continue to live life and do what I do," he said. "I don't want to be monopolized by a demon."

Griffin enjoys teaching newcomers a sport he's played since he was 4 years old. Once they're in he stresses the importance of charities such as Feed My Starving Children and the food drive that has grown throughout the Cadet Challenge Lacrosse Tournament's eight years.

"I built the program that way because I don't believe it's just lacrosse," he said.

"Everything I do every day means more to me, and that's all I can say. I hold a hand a little longer and a hug a little longer. I look into people's eyes a little longer because you don't realize how fortunate you are.

"There isn't really any cure for me, I've been told, so I'm just trying to do my best every day I'm here, and trying to set a good example for this program and these boys."

Here's the pitch

Last week 24 teams began group play in the 18th annual Naperville Invitational Girls Soccer Tournament. Those matches produced a final eight that advanced to the championship bracket, April 30-May 2.

Barrington beat Naperville Central in a quarterfinal Thursday while Wheaton North lost to New Trier. Naperville North was the site for a doubleheader - St. Charles East beat Waubonsie Valley in overtime, and Naperville North defeated Plainfield North.

The championship game is at Naperville Central, noon Saturday.

Half the field - St. Charles East, Waubonsie, Barrington and New Trier - won 2014 sectional titles, with St. Charles East falling 1-0 to New Trier for the Class 3A title.

The Saints, by the way, are currently ranked No. 19 in the country in the Top Drawer Soccer/SIMA "Fab 50," moving up from No. 24 last week after Naperville Invitational wins over Loyola and Sandburg. New Trier is No. 2, Barrington No. 11, Naperville North No. 17 and Plainfield North No. 22. St. Charles North was listed at No. 42 this week.

Summer school

This is generally a preps column, but should you know of a rambunctious, basketball-loving boy entering third- through ninth-grade this fall there are worse places you could send him than to a basketball camp led by Aurora Christian head boys varsity coach Pat McNamara.

The Eagles coach always gets his players and teams ready to play.

His camp runs at Aurora Christian from June 15-19, split into morning (grades 3-6) and afternoon (grades 7-9) sessions. A typical camp day includes warm-up, fundamentals and shooting instruction, dribbling drills and competitions.

Cost is $99 for a session, and the best way to sign up is to reach the 26-year coaching veteran at patmcnamara@comcast.net.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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