Pushing through
Trinity Prep coach Sandidge motivates team through his battle with cancer
Canker sores line the inside of Ray Sandidge’s mouth. It’s an expected side effect from what he hopes is his final round of taxing chemotherapy treatments.
The lesions have done little to calm the voice and enthusiasm of a soccer lifer who continues coaching one of the area’s talentrich programs at Trinity Prep while fighting cancer.
A model of perseverance in the eyes of players and peers, Sandidge will be on the sideline Friday when the unbeaten Saints (6-0) play at Oviedo (4-4) at 7 p.m.
“To see how well he’s handling it is motivational,” Trinity Prep junior midfielder Ryan Avallone said.
Sandidge, 64, has been equally inspired by a team with big ambitions this winter. Despite graduating nine seniors, the return of six starters and experienced underclassmen bodes well for a squad that reached last year’s FHSAA Class 3A state semifinals.
“We’ve got total continuity with what our philosophy is and with what we want to do and how we’re going to do it,” Sandidge said. “These kids are so focused. The leadership on the team is unbelievable, and they train hard whether I’m there [at practices] or not.”
Sandidge, in his third season at Trinity Prep, has hardly missed time despite a grueling bi-weekly chemo regiment in the wake of a Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis in early September. The sobering revelation was preceded by weeks of uncharacteristic bouts with fatigue while he oversaw his Florida Kraze Krush club soccer programs in the summer.
The removal of a massive tumor followed. Concerns over cancerous spots that spread to his liver
lingered.
“I’d never been sick a day in my life other than the flu, and then all the sudden, one morning the angel of death is looking at you,” Sandidge said.
He has since received a positive report on his health early this month. Details on a long-term plan will be outlined when he meets with a doctor in January, which aligns with the final month of the high school soccer regular season.
“Hopefully I’ve done my last chemo treatment because I can’t take much more. It’s been a little rough,” Sandidge said. “As of right now, all the spots are gone, and they don’t see a tumor.”
Sandidge said all along that he’d come out on the winning end. Avallone recalls that sentiment when he initially heard the news while preparing for a national event with his club team.
“He sat us down and told us he was going to get through it and that everything was going to be alright,” Avallone said. “It made us all want to fight hard and fight for him, and it just gives us a bigger why and more want to win.”
Trinity Prep has hardly missed a beat, and Sandidge has yet to miss a full game. He was at Winter Park on Nov. 10 when the Saints rallied from a 2-goal deficit by scoring 3 times inside the final 20 minutes during a 3-2 win. The night began with a touching pregame tribute from the Wildcats.
On Nov. 30 after completing his final treatment, Sandidge arrived at Windermere Prep at halftime as Trinity held a 1-0 lead. The Saints won 3-0.
“The soccer community has been unbelievable in showing their support,” he said. “It’s really overwhelming. I can’t say enough about the Trinity Prep athletic department, the club, and my family, especially my wife.”
Sandidge will continue to lean on the assistance of long-time friend and former UCF teammate Lou Cioffi, and his son, 26-year old Ryan Sandidge, when it comes to keeping the team focused on its goals.
Cioffi played goalkeeper and Ray Sandidge was a central defender when the two teamed up at UCF in 1979. Their blue-collar backgrounds formed a bond that grew into a coaching tandem that dates to the mid-1980s.
Sandidge was head coach at Lyman for 14 seasons, where he led the Greyhounds to the state semifinals in 1992 and finished state runner-up in 93. He later coached at Winter Park for five years before leaving the prep ranks. It took another 15 years and an ideal situation at Trinity Prep for him to return to high school coaching in 2019.
“As a player, Ray never gave up until the final whistle. You felt like we always had a chance, no matter if we were losing or tied, that we could win the ballgame,” Cioffi said. “You can’t help but admire his attitude and his fight. To see him fight through [chemo treatments] and to still be positive, not only for himself, but for his family and players, helps keep you with a positive attitude as a friend.”
That mindset has proven to be contagious.
“It was sad to hear about, but the biggest thing about Ray is that he’s a fighter and a winner,” said junior goalkeeper Shane Wright. “He hasn’t let it bring him down at all.”
Trinity Prep has outscored opponents 25-5 with brothers Simon Brown, a senior, and junior Henry Brown leading the way in goals scored. Senior defender Matthew Ahl anchors a lineup that’s strong down the middle of the field.
Notable challenges away from home await the team next month with games Jan. 4 at Lake Highland Prep (2-2-3), Jan. 11 at Bishop Moore (6-0-3) and Jan. 18 at Lake Howell (6-0-0).
But it’s the postseason players and coaches are ultimately focused on.
“Honestly, we’re on a little bit of a revenge tour this year with trying to get back to states,” Ahl said.
That journey is being made with more of a purpose while players wear shirts and bracelets that include the slogan “Play for Ray” during practices and matches.
“Obviously, this season is about playing for ourselves and trying to win a state title, but even more than that, this season’s about playing for Ray,” Ahl said. “That’s brought us closer as a group. It just makes everyone want to work harder for each other.”