Coaches vs. Cancer game helps St. Michael student fight cancer

The Bison Girls’ Basketball team played at St. Michael on Thursday, January 19, in the Coaches verses Cancer game.

‘We are here to make the yellow ribbon just as important and the pink’ was the speech given right before the game. The game was dedicated to Luke Letellier, a sophomore at St. Michael – Albertville High School who was diagnosed with stage four cancer two years ago. During the game there was a raffle going to raise money for the Letellier family.

“ Coaches verses Cancer is one of those good causes and has a connecton to basketball because of some of the coaches in the Hall of fame had to deal with it,” said Girls’ Basketball Head Coach Scot Sorenson. “ I thought it was a good idea that St. Michael kept it local. It adds value to the game because its a local sporting event.”

Each year in the Mississippi 8 conference Girls Basketball program does a Coaches vs. Cancer game to raise awareness and money for those who have cancer. This year and for the past several years St. Michael has been donating the money to the Letellier family to help with costs with things such as chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

“ I think it’s a good way to bring both teams together in one game even though we are playing each other,” said Senior Jamie High. “ I feel like its better to give to a local family than to research because it’s someone that’s close to the town.”

Cancer has not just effected schools such as St. Michael it had also effected Buffalo and many of the schools that surround. For Buffalo it was last year graduate Amanda Burggraff.

“ I wish we would have done something like that for Amanda Burggraff,” said High. “ I would have been nice to do something for the family.”

Story by Leah Mussell
Photo credit Mike Schoemer and St. Michael Patch.