Aurora Christian honors assistant coach Risch with a clip

The football pairings party at Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe's house last Saturday became so much more than that, thanks to a chair and a hair trimmer.

One by one, the Eagles lined up to get their heads shaved (setting No. 0, to be exact) in the garage. They didn't do it to get a new hairdo for the playoffs; they did it for assistant varsity/head JV coach Chris Risch, who is in round No. 2 of battling lung cancer and has gone through radiation and chemotherapy.

Risch was diagnosed with the cancer last year. After treatment and surgery, the cancer became more aggressive about a month ago.

Senior Peter Kariotis was the player who first came up with the idea. The original plan was for just the seniors to do it, but then all but two players decided to go for it as well (the two boys who didn't do it were not at Beebe's house).

"We wanted to show Coach Chris how much we love and support him," senior kicker Jake Van Gilse said. "It was a great idea because we've been praying for him every day ... he's such an awesome guy, we love him so much."

Van Gilse said the 'do was a new look for him, as he was born with a full head of hair. It was debated that either Luis Solorio or Zac Copple had the most hair shaved off. There were many mixed emotions during the night. Since the Eagles were given the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, they were happy. Having a bunch of teammates cutting each others' hair was fun, but sad at the same time.

Risch even clipped a few of the players' hair himself , including Copple, with whom he is very close. There were tears in both the players' and his eyes well as plenty of hair on the floor when it was all done.

"A couple of the guys really cherish their hair," Risch said. "(For them to cut it) was awesome. It shows they are behind me 100 percent and are praying for me."

"It was a real touching moment for him," Beebe added. "This has touched (the players') lives in such a great way. It's amazing."

The Eagles debuted their bald heads in their first-round playoff game against Plano. It was a chilly night, and hair would have been nice to have some hair when the helmets were removed, but it didn't matter to the players. Risch, wearing an Eagles cap, was present on the sidelines coaching, even though his doctors recommended he shouldn't be there.

After Aurora Christian beat Plano 41-0, Risch admitted he was tired, but he wanted to be there to set an example to the Eagles to never give up.

"I told these guys I wasn't going to quit on them, especially this time of year," Risch said. "There's no way. So I rested all day, came to (the game) and it's awesome."

The Eagles know it's a battle for Risch to still be around the team, but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"That's a heart of a warrior right there," Solorio said. "He's a young guy and it's hard to see him go through this, but he's fighting. He's asking the Lord for help. He's not down about it. He tells us, 'Through God, we can go through any trials.'"

Aurora Christian is 10-0 this year, but even if the Eagles didn't win a game or make the playoffs, it didn't matter. Risch loves being around them. It's what keeps him going.

"We all love each other," Risch said. "This isn't a football team, this is a family. We could have lost (to Plano) and it would still mean the same to me."

Beebe said this particular group of Eagles is the best he's ever coached, not just because of their success, but because of the way they've bonded off the field as well. The players shaving their heads is a perfect example of that.

"For the first time in my five years of coaching, these kids have played together more than any other team," Beebe said. "They love each other more than any other team and the fellowship is better than any other team. No better of a team have I seen that has played this great game of football."

No one knows what the future holds for Risch, but Beebe is certain this negative will be turned into a positive because of the ever-lasting impression he has made on the players.

"Lives will be changed because of this, and that's all we can hold on to," Beebe said.

cbolin@dailyherald.com