Heart and head: Coach Dunn shows support for battle-tested former player

[caption id="attachment_741" align="alignleft" width="400" caption="Tom Dunn and former player Emily Hepker, who continues to battle lymphoma cancer, pose for a picture after Dunn shaved his head to show Hepker he cared as she goes through chemotherapy."][/caption]

Jonesville head girls basketball coach Tom Dunn shaved his head recently, but it wasn't for any of the conventional reasons.

His team didn't win a league title, he didn't lose a bet with his players and it certainly wasn't because he wanted to look stylish when he wears his muscle shirts at summer practices.

It was because he is a man of his word and he knew Emily Hepker was counting on him.

The 20-year-old played varsity basketball for Dunn for two years before graduating in 2007, but battling for limited playing time was easy compared to what she's contended with since March 12, 2007.

That's when she was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer.

Since then she has traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minn., almost every month, with medical bills from a single month often exceeding median yearly household incomes of the area.

She has been the girl who always wears a smile on her face despite being extremely ill, she has been an inspiration to everyone she has encountered since receiving the shocking news that her life might never be normal again.

And earlier this spring, when Dunn found out Emily might have to begin chemotherapy treatments he knew he wanted to show his love and support in a very personal way.

Dunn said he promised Hepker's mother, Jesse, that if Emily ever lost her hair he would go down that road with her.

Dunn lost his brother to esophageal cancer and father to colon cancer so on some level he understood the pain the Hepker family was going through, although he says it is completely different because she is so young and had so much life left to live.

Emily started chemo at the beginning of April and during the second round of treatment she was faced with the reality of losing her locks.

To say the process was mentally and physically agonizing would be an understatement.

"She actually lost two-and-a-half pounds of hair in two days. And actually your hair is very painful when it falls out because it comes out from the root, it doesn't come out like you and I where you just shed a little," Jesse Hepker said.

Soon after, the word came down from doctors that it would just be better for Emily to shave her head to alleviate the intense pain, and not long after Dunn stuck to his vow.

The two then had a photo shoot at the Hepker family's studio to commemorate the occasion and also to feed what Jesse likes to call Emily's "photoholic" addiction.

"Her mom gave me the heads up here a few months ago that it was coming and then I got a phone call at 11:30 at night saying Emily had lost her hair so I shaved my head the next day. She was one of my players and a great kid and I just wanted to show her in my way that I support her," Dunn said. "Anything to help her through this whole ordeal because she's been pricked and poked and her body has been beat up and she just comes out smiling, she's just a role model for other people of all ages."

A role model that Dunn has grown close to over the years for a number of reasons.

Dunn said he remembers the summer before Emily was going to be a high school freshman, when he kind of sought her out to become part of the basketball program.

"The first time I saw here was over at a Hillsdale College Shootout, and she was in the stands watching her distant relative from Jonesville, and I told her to go home and get her shoes. She was a freshman, she was scared to death, but she came out and made two baskets in that game, it was great," he said. "I knew she was going to come to school here, so I thought heck, I had her go home and get her shoes and that's the first time I met her. She was a deer in the headlights definitely that day."

He said Emily is actually one of the girl's he "should've played more, but didn't" and he and Emily still joke about that to this day. Dunn also said Hepker was a key role player in the Comets' 2007 Big Eight championship run, forcing opponents into tough shots and coming up with important rebounds.

Mom agrees Emily should have maybe seen the court a little more, but she also emphasizes how incredibly important a role Dunn has played in her daughter's life.

"She has helped him coach some of the little kids team and middle school teams. She babysat for them and athletic wise she didn't really have a mentor and Tom took her under his wings," she said. "A person is only as good as their word and when Tom said he was going to shave her head if Emily lost her hair, I knew he would."

As much as Dunn cleaning off his noggin meant to the Hepkers, what Emily has taught the entire community is so much more valuable according to the head coach.

Dunn said Emily's journey has taught him to be thankful for his health and family every night he goes to bed and he also believes her struggle has brought out the best of Jonesville's character.

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Success in this neck of the woods and beyond

It's been a good 24 hours for Hillsdale County sports and HC alums. As I sit on my old futon watching "Kobe: Doin' Work" for the second time (you say pitiful, I say phenomenal. For some reason I am obsessed with success in so many forms. Not really with being uber successful with what I personally do, but just seeing what makes successful tick — and Spike Lee does a killer job once again in this two hours of mono et mono with KB8) there are several good things from the area sports scene to report on from the past day. Here are a few snippets of the best of the good, with a promise of more on the way.

Reading Ranger girls are regional champs

Deb Price doesn't mess around when it comes to success, speaking of that one attribute we all strive for, and her all-around great Ranger girls track team helped add to her trophy collection Saturday. Reading (149) was 56 points better than any other school (Hillsdale Academy, 93 points) at Hillsdale College Saturday to win yet another regional championship.

They had five individual champions crowned and won two team relays as they took control of the competition early and never let up. Tessa Pridgeon was possibly the star of the meet with victories in the 200 meter and 400 meter dashes, while also anchoring one of the winning relay squads.

The Rangers are undefeated this season, have a Big Eight tile to their credit, a runaway victory at regionals now and only the state meet in two weeks will truly tell how impressive this group of girls is.

The Reading boys came almost frustratingly close to a regional title of their own, taking second to Sand Creek by a score of 117-106.

If not for Sand Creek's Brad Smith winning both the discus and shot put who knows what could have transpired. Nonetheless, the Ranger relay teams were strong throughout, piling up points and Trent Morris was tops in the pole vault competition.

It was also exciting to see Hillsdale Academy senior Thomas Lundberg win the 800, with his father Bill on hand, the man who will be his head coach on the very same track just months from now.

An entire rundown of the event, with commentary from Deb Price will be posted shortly.

Nicolet throws another touchdown, this time in a Blizzard blowout

It wasn't necessarily the circumstances former Hillsdale College QB Mark Nicolet probably wanted to see the playing field again, but I'm sure he'll take. After Green Bay Blizzard starting quarterback Gino Guidugli tore up the Peoria Pirate defense for three-plus quarters, Nicolet came in to relieve him.

Nicolet did throw his first interception of the season, but went 3-for-4 for 37 yards, including an 8-yard TD toss. Nicolet has now thrown six touchdowns against one interception in both spot and starting action for the AFL2 squad, and equally important is the fact the Blizzard are now 4-3 overall, right on target for a division title at this point in the season.

What should also be noted is that Nicolet was playing in front of a crowd of 6,376 at the Resch Center in Green Bay and whether you think so or not, that is something to write home to mom (and fellow Hillsdale College buddies) about. During the 2008 Charger football season, an official total of 9,488 fans attended the six Hillsdale College home games, or on average a little under 1,600 fans. The only time Nicolet played before such a large crowd in his entire college career was in Allendale against Grand Valley, where they regularly pack in 15,000-plus fans, something the Detroit Lions would be proud of.

A few more track stars rise to the occasion


In Friday's division 3 track and field regional at East Jackson a few well-known local kids stepped up in the clutch.

Hillsdale senior Joe McAvoy, one of the area's most decorated runners of all-time, advanced to the state meet in two weeks with regional final victories in one and two mile races.

Fellow Hornet Hilary Kast did the same, although she had to settle for second in the 3200 and a first-place finish in the 1600.

Jonesville's Amber Smith won the regional crown in discus and the Comets Kristyn Jones was tops in the region in the 100 hurdles. Although no area teams had quite the success Reading did Saturday, there were plenty of memorable performances that could ultimately lead to medals at the state meet.

For now, it's off to finishing some real work, finding a tape to record this Spike Lee joint, and getting some rest so my wife and I can go to the ordination of our associate pastor tomorrow. God is always present in my life, even when I forget to give Him due credit, and this young man getting ordained is a strong example of what can happen if you let the Lord direct your ways. In a sentence: He went from being a U of M grad with a good-paying accounting job who was on his way up,  to being convivted by the Lord's call while on a field trip with some church kids one day and now he's being ordained and is moving out to Kansas City in June where he will direct a new inner-city satellite church for one of the largest United Methodist churches in the nation. Only through Christ...

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A question much greater than what to do on fourth-and-inches

An exclusive Down in the 'Dale blog post

The other day I got to thinking.

(Pause)

I know, sometimes sports journalists are known for their, well thinking or lack thereof, quite frankly, but I think that's a stereotype perpetuated by the chaotic spewing of verbiage and emotions on sports talk shows and opinionated debates on live television everyday.

Anyways, I was thinking. And I thought I should tell you. (My wife would certainly appreciate that I tell her when I decide to stop and become intuitive and though-provoking once in a while)

Not about sports really, but about something much greater and much more important. Something that makes sports look like just another stop on the Monopoly board while we try to pass "Go" as often as possible.

In four short words: Our purpose for existing.

You can read many well-thought out books on the subject matter, study philosophers through the ages, and focus your attention on the teachings and truths of religious texts all you want, which I often do, and hope you'll spend some time doing as well at some point.

But what if I told you that there are really only two options in this life? A belief in God or the belief of something other than God, including the belief in no higher power at all. I'm sure you're thinking "Yeah, so you're pointing out the obvious, you can either believe or not..." But hear me out.

An editorial in HM (the magazine Hard Music) caught my attention several years ago and I was reminded about it in a roundabout way when I was reading the book Crazy. Love. by Francis Chan.

I'm not hear to start a religious debate or tell you what's right or wrong or true or false. Because I personally know the God of Jerusalem and the Father of Christ is my God. Not just from reading books like The Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell or The Case For a Creator by Lee Stobel,  a former Chicago Tribune journalist who was constantly disproving God every chance he had as a young man, but from my own saving moments.

Like on the last day of my high school career. I got into the car that morning feeling cold and unaware. I didn't know what was wrong, just that something was. I prayed for a good five minutes that God would guard me and just help me make it to my destination unharmed. The entire drive was a blur and I was copping a cold sweat, feeling as if I was about to faint.

Ten minutes later, less than a second after I had pulled into a parking spot and put the car in park — I had a seizure. I blacked out for a few minutes and it took me a few days to recouperate.

That one instance is enough for me to believe, because I tangibly felt His grace, but the fact that it's just one of the many unexplainable "God moments" I've had solidifies my faith. Such as the time my 22-year-old cousin died in a freak skateboarding accident, yet somehow I was pulled through the situation with almost a numbness to how much it should hurt just because I had His presence in my corner more than ever.

Anyway, I hope I haven't lost you. This is what I really want to ask you.

I know that faith is sometimes referred to as "blind" and I don't pretend to have the answers to all of the questions posed in atheistic books such as The End of Faith by Sam Harris, but if you are on the fence, unsure of whether or not a higher power plays a significant role in your life....ask yourself this.

Which of these two people would you rather be, knowing that when you died you would find out either God is myth, complete fiction, or God is real after all?

(Although I feel strongly you will find the need for a Creator and guide if you spend as much time thinking about it as you do about your Facebook status or your love life, or athletic career, etc.)

SIMPLY PUT WOULD YOU RATHER BE PERSON A.) OR PERSON B.)

PERSON A.)
You have decided or determined there is no higher power, and thus you have no exact path to follow, no reason to stop yourself from doing something other than your own human understanding of wrong or right, and no clear other purpose in this life other than to do things for yourself. You might help others just as often or more than people who are committed to God and you may be known as one of the nicest people on the streets, but for what purpose? Self-gratification, just because it's the "right" thing to do? You are constantly relying on people, who like both you and I, are full of faults and have the ability to deceive and hurt as we all know. You have a love for your friends and family, but if you think about it you can only exude a love that falls in line with our understanding of emotions and knowledge as mere humans. Best-selling author Richard Dawkins vehemently denies the existence God. Yet if he’s right, ironically, his opinion doesn’t actually matter anyways. Because nothing matters. His words are merely the empty echoes of inanimate chemical reactions firing away in the evolving synapses of his brain. Similarly, Francis Crick is more eloquent in the book “The Astonishing Hypothesis”, written in the mid 1950s. He writes: “You, your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will are, in fact, no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules.” If you are Person A everything truly revolves around you even if you are giving completely of yourself, because you believe everything starts and ends with you, and no greater power exists for which to live.

PERSON B.)
If you are this person it should be first noted that you don't attest to know everything, but you decide to trust in and have faith in the one sovereign God, with a view on eternal life and on living with the Bible as your guide. When tragedy strikes or failure occurs you don't rely on yourself, instead you turn in earnest to the One who knows you inside out, in hopes of finding an answer to the suffering. Sometimes the answer is given quickly, while other times it may take years of praying and pleading to understand what is happening from the perspective of a God so great that trying to fully understand him is really like a small ant trying to understand the Internet. The fact is even the most educated, brilliant scientist would agree that we only know a fraction of a percent of the knowledge of the universe, so you decide to seek a personal relationship with a God who has all of the knowledge because indeed he created knowledge itself. You likely will make as many mistakes or more in your life than Person A and you will not always come off  as a "Christ-like" character, as I will be the first to admit. You are absolutely no "better" than anyone else and you are as imperfectly human as homo sapiens get. But you take directives from the Bible, understanding Jesus' messages teaching that metaphorically lust is adultery and anger is murder, giving you a conscious sense that God hard-wired us for great things but sometimes we slip off the straight and narrow path. You also try whole-heartedly to put your faith into action and tend to works of compassion through a love given to you by God, a much greater strength than that of self-righteous person — let me tell you, I try to do things my own way all the time and it is only when I accept the grace of God and cry out for His wisdom that I truly understand what I am doing. So really Person B is not that much different than Person A other than their motives and drive and a striving, seeking faith in something bigger than themselves.

Now consider this: Jesus says "I am the only way to God. I am the way to the Father." He is either telling the truth or he is lying.  For me, altruism comes out of knowing there is more than this life, that there is a sovereign God, and that I am not God. That's the mindset of Person B.  But both of us are betting....Person A is betting his life that he's right. I'm betting my life that Jesus was not a liar. When we die, if Person A is right, I've lost nothing though because I still lived in a way that compelled me to consider my path, to show compassion to others and ultimately live a lifestyle that attempts to bring about few regrets. But if I'm right and everyone who says they are like Person B, then Person A has lost everything. I'm not willing to make that gamble.

And that's why I wanted to share something with you all that is so much more important to me than sports. I cannot tell you that I am anything but a brother to every person on earth and I have personally experienced the grace and magnificent wisdom of God and Jesus. I apologize for all of my shortcomings and by no means think I have it "all figured out", I simply wanted to ask you the question of what type of person do you consider yourself to be and what are the consequences at the end of our lives based on what we put our faith in.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading and if you ever want to talk to me about things other than sports, including my faith, please, feel free.

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The heart of a champion: Former Ohio State defensive tackle shares a message of faith with area teens

[caption id="attachment_300" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Former Ohio State defensive tackle Joel Penton shared a message on using your shield of faith in God to stand your ground when life throws you a curveball. He spoke to more than 200 youth at Reading High School Tuesday."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 18, 2009

According to Joel Penton a BCS National Championship ring is big, shiny and exciting, but not something that is a trustworthy object of his faith.

For him, that object is Jesus Christ, and he is not afraid to share that news with anyone who is willing to listen.

The former Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle, part of the 2002 national championship team, spoke a message of “standing your ground” via an unshakeable faith in God to more than 200 area middle school and high school students at Reading High School Tuesday night.

Coupled with the tunes of young musician Ryan Holiday, prize giveaways and a Nerf gun battle used as an example of what shields can do in fighting life’s biggest battles, Penton grabbed the young audiences' attention, asking them questions far beyond the realm of academics and athletics.

“We all need to be ready when that day of evil comes. And that day of evil could come tomorrow for you — it’s a day of trial, of temptation, of tragedy, and we have to be ready,” he said in his speech. “And sure, yeah wearing this national championship ring is fun, but it’s not going to provide me with purpose and meaning. Where I found a trustworthy object of my faith is with Jesus.”

The 25-year-old Penton related his journey of faith time and again with his journey as a Division I football player.

He said that when he was a freshman in 2002, it was the faith of seniors, like cornerback Chris Cornwell that made the difference between being a good team and the nation’s best.

Despite beginning the season not even ranked in the Top 10 Cornwell was always talking to the younger players about how they were going to be national champs come January because of the faith they all had in the coaches, game plans and their own abilities.

Penton said initially he laughed at the idea of being so sure of something so big in the world of college sports, but after the Buckeyes defeated the Miami Hurricanes 31-24 in double overtime at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, all he could do was think of what Cornwell had been saying all along.

“Standing there in confetti, with Coach Tressel accepting the national title trophy all I could think about was how Chris Cornwell talked all year about how I’d have a national championship this year,” Penton said. “I couldn’t stop thinking about how he and all the seniors held up their shield of faith all season and never doubted.”

Penton also recalled a huge fourth-and-one conversion from a late-season contest with Purdue when explaining how football taught him many lessons about the idea of faith.

Trailing 6-3 with two minutes to go in a pivotal road game, Tressel decided to go deep and senior quarterback Craig Krenzel found receiver Michael Jenkins wide open for a 37-yard game-winning score. Penton said what he remembers even more than the play itself is what Krenzel said to a reporter after the game.

“I was blown away when he told the reporter, ‘I knew it was a touchdown when I let go of the ball’. His faith was amazing,” he said.
Penton said that while most teenagers try to identify with and fulfill themselves with activities, relationships and substances, through personal experiences he has learned that only a personal savior will suffice.

“I know it makes people uncomfortable, but I truly believe one day we will all face judgment. On that day under our own power none of us will stand our ground,” he said. “However, the only way we will be able to stand our ground is if we’re covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.”

Camden-Frontier sophomore Morgan Warfield said she really liked what Penton had to say at her school assembly and came to Tuesday night’s event with a group of friends to hear even more.

“I think it is really cool that he (is a former college football player) and he shares his message with younger people and it shows a lot about him and what he went through,” she said. “I just got the message (of keeping) faith in yourself and just believe in yourself and keep trying to do what’s right.”

Crossroad Ministries executive director Doug Routledge said he was encouraged by the turnout and excitement.

“What Joel has done is excellent, what Ryan does is excellent and I think anytime you have excellence projected to your high school or junior high kids, especially excellence related to a relationship with Jesus Christ, it has an impact, it’s extremely positive,” he said.

Penton has been a professional speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes since early 2007 and Crossroads Ministries welcomed him to the Rangers home gym on the same day he spoke at Camden-Frontier and Reading at school assemblies.

In 2006, Penton received the prestigious Danny Wuerffel Trophy, also known as the “Humanitarian Heisman.”  The trophy recognizes the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.

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