Hornet players put football in its place
Monroe High team delivers souvenir to hospital-bound boy
By Skip Weaver, Cox News Service
MONROE — It's been a miraculous season for the Monroe High football team.
The Hornets haven't experienced a winning season since 1994 and have suffered through six straight losing seasons.
Monroe is the No. 2 seed in the Division IV, Region 16 playoffs and finished the regular season at 9-1 with a share of the Mid-Miami League South Division championship.
The Hornets, who knocked off Madeira 41-16 last week, will face third-seeded Plain City Jonathan Alder in a second-round matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Xenia's Cox Stadium.
But even with all the excitement surrounding the team's success, the players have shown they can put football in its place.
Two weeks ago, the day before the Hornets played host to Edgewood in the biggest game of the season, all 85 players signed a new football for 11-year-old Nick Liston, who has been in and out of the hospital for weeks.
"I thought it was really cool that they did this for me," Nick said from his hospital room. "I don't know many of the players, but I want to thank them for the ball. It has really helped me recover. I feel better knowing there are other people out there that care about how I'm doing. That's a great feeling to have."
Nick, a Milford resident who goes to church in Monroe where his father, Bill Liston, is the pastor, fell off the monkey bars at a school playground when he was 9 years old. He had trouble walking, remembering things and experienced a lot of headaches, according to his mother, Lisa Liston.
Nick underwent decompression surgery in New York and eventually had a shunt put in. The shunt clogs easily, however, and that has been the problem Nick has experienced recently. He has had four surgeries in the last five weeks.
"He's really hanging in there," said Lisa Liston as she sat by her son's side at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. "It's been rough. He's been through a lot. He gets discouraged sometimes, but he has a lot of faith in God, and we trust that he will get better some day."
Although Monroe is a growing community, word got out about Nick's condition, and coach Jason Krause and his team acted immediately.
"Any time we can do anything to touch the life of someone, it's a good lesson for our kids," Krause said. "If it makes him smile just one time, it was worth it."
Several players echoed Krause's sentiments.
"It was a good thing to help him through a rough time," said J.C. Kellis, who is one of several players that attend First Baptist Church with Nick. "He's a big football fan, high school and pros. I know getting that football meant a lot to him.
"Every Sunday he asks me how we did Friday night even though he already knew the score. I think our team got a kick out of signing the ball for him, and with me knowing Nick's situation, I appreciate that our team wanted to do that for him. It shows a lot of character."
Although Nick may never play football, receiving the autographed football has turned him into a lifelong Hornets fan, according to his mother.
"I thought it was really sweet," she said. "It's remarkable that those kids would do this for someone they don't even know. Nick has become an instant Monroe fan."
The whole situation also has been a lesson in life for several of the Hornets.
"I know he has had some surgeries recently and I hope he gets healthy soon," senior Michael Majors said. "Knowing what he's going through makes me happy for what I have. I can't be selfish, because you never know what will happen to you. You can't take anything for granted in life."
"I think it's hard coming out here to practice sometimes," Kellis said. "But what he is going through is so much harder. He's fighting for his life. This is just football."
Contact Skip Weaver at (513) 705-2852 or by e-mail at sweaver@coxohio.com.
