Lawler's legacy grows as foundation hits links again

We can all hope to leave a legacy as rich and as lasting as Phil Lawler.

Memories of the late educator and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame pitching coach - who succumbed to cancer in April 2010, a rallying point for the Naperville Central Redhawks to win that spring's Class 4A title - continue to motivate those he served.

The latest proof is the third annual Phil Lawler Batting 4 A Cure Foundation golf outing this Saturday at Tamarack Golf Course in Naperville. Registration for the event opened on July 15. All 36 foursomes sold out within a month, just like the two previous years.

"It's amazing to me but it's also a great thing that dad's spirit is still alive within the community," said Kim Marino, Lawler's daughter and the president of the foundation.

She started Batting 4 A Cure in 2013 with brothers Todd and Scott Lawler who, not surprisingly, are youth baseball coaches. Scott heads the Benet varsity, Todd heads 29ers Baseball, named after his father's Naperville Central uniform number, since retired.

Vice president Marc Sweda, Ann Dana, Alyse Bergmann and Nick DiGiovanni are co-founders because this type of undertaking takes a village.

"You never think of what it all encompasses," Marino said. "It's a ton of work."

It's work worth doing.

Through two years Batting 4 A Cure has provided $30,000 to the Edward Foundation of the Edward Cancer Center in Naperville. Additionally, the foundation board selects families in Naperville who have been affected by cancer, and have given them about $15,000.

Fittingly for a man who sought to curb childhood obesity through the PE4Life organization as well as at Madison Junior High - Lawler was featured in the Academy Award-nominated 2004 documentary, "Super Size Me" - some of the funds helped children attend the Edward Foundation's Camp Hope this summer at the Naper Settlement.

"It's come full circle for us," Marino said. "It's a great opportunity for these kids to be able to grow and learn and have a week for them to feel normal and not to feel they're so awkward because they have cancer or a parent has cancer."

Although the golf outing is sold out, donations are always welcome. Information on how to donate is available at the website, batting4acure.com.

Running a charitable organization is basically Marino's full-time job. She said people often ask her what she gets out of it.

"Honestly, when we lost him five years ago it was a major void for me. It helped kind of fill up that hole that's left when a loved one passes," she said.

"And, for my dad, we felt like he was such an instrumental part of the Naperville community. Year after year we sell out (the golf outing) within a month. Teachers, athletes and students want to come back and relive the spirit of his life each year. It's a great day for us - a great day for my family and my extended family."

Milestones

On Sept. 12 IC Catholic beat Walther Christian 4-0 in boys soccer. A first-year program coached by Javier Andrade, it was the Knights' first boys soccer victory.

That same day Naperville North beat Naperville Central 1-0. It was the Huskies' 600th win in program history. Jim Konrad's squad won its next three matches as well entering Thursday's home game against Lake Park.

Homegrown Hope

Metea Valley junior Angie Lee has beaten the odds. Now she's hoping her classmates can beat their teachers.

At 7 p.m. Saturday players from the Mustangs girls and boys soccer programs will play Metea faculty in the featured match of the Angie's Hope SMA Big Ball Soccer Tournament at Players Indoor Sports Center in Naperville.

The whole tournament, from 5-9 p.m., draws about 30 teams and 250 people playing soccer with a wheelchair-friendly sphere Metea boys soccer coach Josh Robinson describes as a "yoga ball wrapped in felt."

The purpose of this recreational soccer spectacular is to raise funds for Angie's Hope, which supports research toward an eventual cure for spinal muscular atrophy. According to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, SMA is a genetic disease affecting the part of the nervous system that controls muscle movement. The Cure SMA website says the disease affects one in 10,000 babies - another online source says one in 6,000 - and is the leading genetic killer of children under 2.

SMA patient Angie Lee is 16. In 2006 with her friend Kyra, the pair decided to raise money to help find a cure, starting with a penny drive. With the help of their parents things got serious pretty quickly. Angie's Hope has since raised $152,528 toward the cause, including $32,000 at last year's Big Ball Soccer Tournament.

"She's a pretty amazing young woman we have in the building," Robinson said.

In addition to the teacher-student throwdown, Saturday's event offers other fun things like an opportunity to bid on a soccer ball - regulation size - autographed by the Chicago Fire. There is a small $5 door charge.

Robinson, on board with girls soccer coach Chris Whaley, likes the "hyperlocal" aspect of Lee's tournament.

"We're super-excited to be able to help out, it's something kind of local. We're always looking to promote opportunities for citizenship for our kids, we want to be able to help out with things within our school building," he said.

"One of the biggest things is this is a student-driven initiative. We know directly where it's going and it's something created by a young woman in the building."

The Century Club

On Monday, Downers Grove South's Melissa Weidner, Mary Eterno and Megan Wicklein were the first three runners to give the Mustangs the West Suburban Gold cross country victory over Addison Trail and Proviso East at O'Brien Park in Downers Grove.

In fact Downers South placed the first 11 girls across the line to become Illinois' first girls program to record 100 consecutive dual-meet victories. (Tri-meets are scored separately against each opponent.)

Reaching the century mark, Downers South holds the state record well ahead of Downers Grove North's 69 straight wins. Rockford Guilford holds the boys mark with 104 consecutive dual-meet victories from 1981 through September 1994, according to IHSA records.

Downers South's string started in 1999 and has persisted under two head coaches - Michael Arenberg for the first six seasons and current Mustangs coach Doug Plunkett these past 11.

"I think it's a combination of having lots of really talented girls come through the program and their dedication and willingness to put in the work, especially over the summer," said Plunkett, who recalled one meet where the streak nearly snapped, a 27-28 win over Hinsdale South in 2004.

Plunkett concedes that the Gold is not the strongest conference and that "many other area schools" may have achieved a similar streak where they in Downers South's place. But hey, 100 is 100, and the Mustangs can only compete against who they're up against.

"Over the years," he said, "the girls have come to expect to win each dual meet and find a way to make it happen."

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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