One More Clap (for Zach and the Jackets)
Radio - I will
be on WQPM radio in Elk River and the surrounding area at about 11:05 this
morning to talk Twins. You can listen live here.
March is
tournament time. I may be the only person in the country who did not
fill out a single NCAA Basketball bracket, but millions are watching it
intently. On the high school level, the state tournaments are winding down.
Next week, when the Minnesota High School Boys Basketball tournament gets
started, Perham will be making its first appearance in school history. On
Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. at Williams Arena, the Yellowjackets will
play the Section 7 AA champions (Virginia and Moose Lake-Willow River
play Saturday night at 7:00 at the University of Minnesota-Duluth).
It has been an
amazing season for the Perham Yellowjackets. They are
now 28-1. Their lone loss came in overtime to perennial power Pelican Rapids.
In the sub-section semi-final game last Saturday, they played without one of
their key players Jordan Bruhn, who was out sick. The team needed overtime to
finish a 65-59 win over Hawley. On Tuesday, the sixth-ranked Jackets beat #4 ranked
Pequot Lakes 64-48 to win its first Sub-Section title.
On Friday night,
Thief River Falls took a 2-0 lead over Perham. That would be the Prowlers only
lead of the entire game. At one point, the Yellowjackets
held a 14 point lead, but Thief River Falls cut the lead as low as three points
in the second half. The Jackets allowed the game to stay tight because of
missed free throws. At one point, they were 4-16 from the line. However, they
hit some big free throws down the stretch and held on for the 55-44 win in the
Section 8AA final.
It has been an
amazing season for the Yellowjackets, and it has been
a trying season for the team as well.
In late January,
I wrote a Your Voices article called One
Clap for Zach. In it, I wrote about a 17 year old Perham boys basketball player named Zach Gabbard
who had a cardiac arrest on the court in a game against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton
on January 20.
Since that time,
he has gone through a lot. Here is a brief timeline of highlights since then
(according to his Caring Bridge site):
·
He was transferred from Fargo to the University of
Minnesota hospital on January 23.
·
January 27 - signs of improvement, but still in critical
condition
·
January 28 - early morning emergency heart surgery
·
February 2 - heart full working on it's own. Still on a ventilator and the dialysis
machine.
·
February 4 - In their fourth attempt, they were able to
close his chest.
·
February 6 - he was able to respond to nurse's request to
squeeze hand.
·
Feburary 9 - he begins
occupational therapy.
·
February 10 - his breathing tube was removed and he as able to sit up in a chair.
·
Feburary 11 - a "minor"
heart surgery was done when a clot was found in a vital spot.
·
February 13 - he was able to be visited by Coach Cresap and some teammates
·
February 14 - his ventilator was removed and he smiled.
·
February 22 - sat up on his bed under his own power.
·
February 24 - With little help, he stood up by his bed
and moved three feet forward and three feet back.
·
February 24 - Doctors now believe that a respiratory
virus he had in December was the cause of his collapse.
·
February 26 - He was moved from the Cardio ICU to the
Intermediate ICU
·
February 27 - with help from speech therapy, he is able
to utter loud whispers.
·
March 2 - No more kidney dialysis.
·
March 3 - An internal defribulator
was inserted into his chest.
·
March 5 - Zach moved from U of MN hospital to Bethesda
Hospital in St. Paul.
Since being at
Bethesda, he has continued to make strides in his physical and speech therapy.
On Tuesday night, when Perham had taken a large lead over Pequot Lakes with two
minutes to go, Zach uttered, "Yes! We're playing at Concordia on
Friday I want to go to the game in a wheelchair!"
Of course, he
was not able to go to the game last night in Moorhead. However, with the help
of Arvig Communications (ACS), he and his mom were
able to watch Friday night's game on a special internet feed. I imagine he was
very excited for his teammates, friend and coach. Seeing the black and gold One Clap for Zach t-shirts
had to feel good. Seeing his team make it to the
state tournament. I can only imagine what was going through his
mind.
On Tuesday, his
teammates will all come to see him. Will Zach Gabbard
be allowed to go to Williams Arena on Wednesday night to watch them make their
state tournament appearance? I really, really hope so!
Congrats
to Coach Cresap
I played
basketball at Perham during the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons (Yes, I'm old!),
and in those two seasons, we went a combined 3-39. Things did not get better
for a couple of years. Not until Coach Dave Cresap
came to Perham and changed the basketball mentality of the town.
To gain a
perspective of what Coach Cresap has done at Perham,
I asked one of his former players to help. Cory Hepola
played for Perham in the mid-and-late '90s. He is now a
sports anchor for WROC-TV in Rochester, New York, where he is asked
to cover many teams including the Twins' AAA Affiliate, the Rochester Red
Wings, the Buffalo Bills and Syracuse sports. He wanted to share his thoughts
on the Perham coach:
No Coach deserves this
success more than Dave Cresap.
When Cresap
arrived in Perham in 1995, the Yellowjacket
basketball program was coming off a 1 win season. He quickly turned the program
into a competitive one, producing double-digit win seasons through endless
enthusiasm and a passion for his student-athletes..
It certainly hasn't been
easy. I know he thought he might never win a playoff game. And, at
times - including last year - he's been harshly criticized for playing time or
his motivational tactics.
But, Cresap
always stayed positive and continued to outwork everyone.
Most importantly to him, Cresap kept that same passion for his student-athletes.
Under his competitive exterior is a compassionate, caring, and sensitive man.
He'll do anything for his players, and his goal is to prepare them to succeed
on the court, in the classroom, and later in life.
I played for Cresap during the late 90's - it wasn't always easy. But,
his valuable lessons of hard work and persistence have had a strong influence
on my life. Even today we stay in close contact; he's still my mentor, only now
I consider him a good friend.
All of Cresap's lessons have an overriding theme: that nothing
worthwhile in life ever comes easy. No, it doesn't, which is why leading the
Perham boys basketball team to its first State Tournament in school history is
going to taste extra sweet.
Coach Cresap is assisted by Brian Schwantz
and Brent Hanson.
When he suffered
his cardiac arrest in late January, Gabbard had been
Perham's leading scorer in three of the team's four previous games. He was
arguably their best player. This run to the state tournament (and that 28-1
record) is a testiment to the rest of the 16 and 17
year olds on the Perham roster. 6-7 Mark Schumacher and guard Jordan Bruhn lead
the way while they get major contributions from Sam Stratton, Nick Tobkin and Jordan Cresap. This is
a true team, brought together in one purpose.
The story of the
2010/11 Perham Yellowjackets basketball team has been
a very interesting one, to say the least. They have experienced the lowest of
lows, and the highest of highs. With their win on Friday night, the story
continues for one more week. If you are a fan of the high school tournament,
and want a team to cheer for next week, this might be your choice.
The story of
Zach Gabbard this year has certainly seen the lowest
of lows, but a lot of really hard work on his part and encouragement from his
family, friends, the basketball community and many people that do not even know
him, that story continues. Thankfully, it is a story that will have many
chapters to come.
If you like, please feel
free to comment.