Brad Lindsay clearly recalls the day he received the e-mail. Every member of the Evergreen High School boys lacrosse team received the same message that day, and each was stunned.
That message, sent 2 1/2 years ago by Evergreen coach Toby Plank, informed his players he was suffering from a rare form of cancer. Although Lindsay did not shrug off the missive, his first thought wasn’t of fear. Plank, after all, was a fighter, a man who instilled the values of hard work and perseverance upon his players. Surely he would find a way to fight through it.
Flash forward a little more than two years later, and the Cougars were attending the funeral of their leader. In the aftermath, the members of Lindsay’s class, now seniors, wondered what would become of their promising team.
The Cougars mourned the loss of Plank, who passed away Dec. 20 at the age of 36 because of carcinoid cancer, a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer. Thanks to the addition of an Evergreen lacrosse alum, Jon Cohen, who assumed the coaching reins, the Cougars are putting together the best season in the program’s history in honor of their former coach.
“At first we figured it was something he would beat. He was a tough guy,” said Lindsay, one of the Cougars’ co-captains. “But he kept getting progressively worse. When he showed up for fall workouts you could barely recognize him. That was by far the hardest part, to see his health go down and there was nothing you could do about it.”
Nevertheless, the Cougars soon realized there was something they could do to honor Plank’s legacy, namely, playing to their potential in his honor. With Cohen, a Bear Creek graduate who played for Plank at Evergreen, taking over, the Cougars (9-3) already have secured the first winning season in the program’s history and are eyeing their first berth in the state tournament.
“You have to be aware that you are dealing with 15-, 16-, 17-year old kids, but at the same time they know the kind of person Toby was and what he meant to the Evergreen lacrosse community,” Cohen said. “They are secure that they’re playing for a bigger cause. To honor Toby with the first playoff berth in the program’s history is the best gift we can give.”
Before each game, the Cougars huddle and, after other words of encouragement, chant Plank’s name before breaking for the opening faceoff. Evergreen players also wear decals on their helmets bearing Plank’s initials. They hope to be honoring his legacy deep into the state tournament.
“It’s been a long journey the whole year,” senior co-captain Jimmy Stephens said. “We weren’t even sure if the lacrosse program would go on. Now, every time I see that decal on a helmet, I think about him. He has been a big part of this team. Just as much as when he was here.”
In memoriam
After Evergreen boys lacrosse coach Toby Plank passed away from cancer on Dec. 20, his family and the Evergreen high school community quickly rallied to establish the Toby Plank Memorial Scholarship. The honor will be given to Evergreen seniors who best exemplify Plank’s spirit and determination on and off the field, although the initial recipients this spring will be Plank’s two young daughters.
Donations can be sent to the Toby Plank Memorial Fund at any Wells Fargo bank location. For more information, contact Shelley Fletcher at sfletch@skybeam.com.
