Geneva's year a harsh lesson in highs, lows

NORMAL - Even as a kid I was never a big fan of rollercoasters.

Always leaned toward a conservative nature, I suppose. I had plenty of fun with friends and family at amusement parks, but give me the bumper cars, the water rides, heck, even just the radar gun or shooting free throws to win some silly prize.

Any of that over the long lines to ride something that is going to make my head hurt, my heart race and my stomach nauseous. I'd let everyone else deal with those highs and lows.

Not much has changed, only now the highs are much better and the lows are getting too sad at times to talk about.

I'm talking about the sports year at Geneva, where on the field it doesn't get much better than their trip accross I-74. First a state title in Peoria in girls cross country, then runner-up finish in football in Champaign, and Friday night, in the middle, their first ever appearance in the girls basketball state finals in Normal.

Then there's the lows.

After a year-long courageous battle with cancer, Geneva assistant football coach Marc Fagot passed away Thursday at the age of 55.

That came a month to the day Geneva senior John McNeil died. It came on Marc's son's Drew's birthday. Both Drew and John played on the football team this year for coach Fagot.

Fagot was an inspiration all fall for the Vikings. I'll always remember someone on the sidelines who had a smile and friendly words for reporters. The people he was around on a daily basis at Geneva remember someone with great energy and love for helping young kids, and someone who beat cancer much longer than originally was thought.

"He was just a great friend to Geneva High School, particularly our athletic department," Geneva athletic director Jim Kafer said. "He also was a friend of community of Geneva, youth baseball, youth football, just loved being associated with the high school. He'll be sorely missed."

Unfortunately, Fagot and McNeil aren't the only lows Geneva has had to deal with. Students losing parents. Faculty seeing family pass.

"I was thinking about graduation, it's going to be difficult," Geneva principal Tom Rogers said. "There certainly have been highs and lows. These things (state football, basketball) are great, but at the same time there has been a lot of loss in our school. It's been a very difficult year emotionally and your thoughts and prayers are with these people and hope they can move forward and cope with those things appropriately because it has been difficult."

"We've had a number of losses through the course of the year," Kafer said. "It's really been a harsh dose of reality this year where you have the real highs and real lows and you just to find the strength to keep going."

Real highs and real lows. A rollercoaster ride indeed. One that I really need to get off of, because it is making my head and heart hurt again.

jlemon@dailyherald.com

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