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In February, with his strength improving, he rejoined the soccer team for the first time since he was diagnosed with cancer.

Seeing him on the practice field lifted his teammates’ spirits.

“It was amazing, coming out after two years of not playing,” Hammond senior Wes Troyer said. “His fitness wasn’t up to the same level, but he was playing harder than anyone else.”

The first weekend in March, Eric traveled with the team to Charleston for a match against Porter-Gaud. Unable to play because of his condition, he sat on the bench, cheered and watched with some frustration as the Skyhawks lost 2-1.

“It was fun just to be around them and to feel like I was one with them,” Eric said. “But it was definitely frustrating. You see a pass made and you know you could have done better. Or there’s a space open and you know you could have taken that space. But I enjoy soccer, so being there was great.”

That sentence encapsulates Eric’s spirit. Being there is great. Battling to be there is what he is all about, even as his disease makes that less and less likely.

March was filled with setbacks. Eric had hoped to attend the senior class trip to Belize but

wasn’t physically able. This week, he admitted his only chance of helping the soccer team is as a manager.

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