Bobcats, Sharks escalate budding rivalry to compete for a cause

Just minutes after his team absorbed a 77-3 thumping last month, May River coach Rodney Summers stepped forward to address both his players and Bluffton’s at the middle of the field.

“Next time we play, I want to throw this out there so you can prepare,” Summers began. “Let’s do something for a good cause. Let’s see if we can find a good cause and raise some awareness or some money for something as two teams — or two schools.”

Friday night brings the rematch at May River. And though the football result might not differ much, the side competition between the schools figures to be win-win-win.

The Sharks and Bobcats are competing to raise money this week to give to the family of Eric Szczepanik, a Bluffton High student in need of a heart transplant.

“What a great cause,” Summers said Wednesday. “Anything we can do to ease a little bit of that burden, hopefully we can do that.”

Bluffton coach Ken Cribb said: “This is a first for me. We’ve done fundraisers forever, but this is the first where we’re actually in a competition.”

Both schools have events going throughout the week, with Cribb cooking up his renowned chicken bog for Thursday night’s JV game at Bluffton and a varsity-vs.-faculty volleyball game at May River that will precede Friday’s kickoff. At the game, buckets will be placed at separate gates to accept donations on behalf of the Sharks or Bobcats.

Donations will be taken through the end of the first quarter, when the week’s totals will be finalized and a “winner” declared at halftime. The Szczepanik family also will be presented a check for the total amount.

“I told our kids the other day, we’re not doing this for recognition,” Summers said. “We’re just doing this between schools as something fun to raise money. And to feel good, just to know we did something to help somebody in a time of need. And his family’s definitely in a time of need right now.”

Szczepanik, 17, was born with Marfan Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the body’s connective tissue. It can affect the heart, blood vessels, bones, joints and eyes.

The condition can create some extremely tall, skilled athletes who don’t realize they’re at risk. It took the life of former U.S. Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman, who died on the sideline when her aorta ruptured during a professional game in Japan.

Szczepanik’s heart has developed cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes enlarged and rigid. He recently underwent a procedure in New York to insert a defibrillator, but needs a transplant as a long-term solution.

“His tender heart is only functioning at 40 (percent),” older brother Steve wrote in a post launching a GoFundMe account.

Neither Summers nor Bluffton coach Ken Cribb were aware of Szczepanik’s state when Summers made the proposal. When word floated back to Bluffton, it became a natural with ties to both schools.

Before becoming May River’s athletics director, Brett Macy was Szczepanik’s basketball coach at Bluffton. Cribb had him in two classes, and Steve Szczpanik was an assistant on his staff until heading to Hilton Head Prep this season.

“Once we heard about it,” Cribb said, “we contacted May River High, and they agreed.”

Though Summers has yet to meet Szczepanik, the situation hits particularly close. As an assistant at Richland Northeast, his youngest son Bryce was diagnosed at age 2  1/2 with leukemia. They used donations to make up the financial gap as his wife left her job to coordinate Bryce’s treatment.

Bryce Summers is now a May River freshman and kicker for the JV team.

“We’re thankful that it’s still in remission,” the coach said. “It’s something people did for me, so I feel like I need to pay it back somehow.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Bobcats, Sharks escalate budding rivalry to compete for a cause."