Watterson team pays special visit to coach
CINCINNATI — Chris Sauter's greatest pep talk may have been delivered without any words on Saturday.
After bringing his Watterson boys lacrosse team to Cincinnati for a Friday victory over Summit Country Day, his boys were back on the field at Division II power Mariemont on Saturday. By all accounts, the game was a rough and tumble, wet, physical affair. The boys delivered shots to the body and the goal. Altercations were both physical and verbal.
After the 8-5 Mariemont victory, Sauter and Mariemont coach Steve Peterson wished each other well and the Eagles boarded the bus for the 108mile ride back to Columbus.
But first, they made time to honor a legend.
Sauter played lacrosse at Ohio State
and was fully aware of North Carolina legend Graham Harden from his 1991 national championship run with the Tar Heels. That year, Harden was the NCAA'S Outstanding Defenseman of the Year.
Harden later became head girls coach and assistant boys coach at Mariemont, a position he held for years until amyotrophic lateral sclerosis robbed him of his motor skills. Sauter is also aware of the inspiration Harden has drawn since his diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease, which he has squared off with since August 2016 with his Gforce Game On! organization.
Now with a feeding tube, the force that paced the Mariemont sidelines on his own, then with a walking stick, then with a scooter, is now under 24-hour care at his house.
However, Harden is able to text. When Watterson's Sauter texted to say he was sorry he couldn't see him, Harden invited him to his nearby residence.
"I was texting with him all the way down," Sauter said. "He said, 'Just come around the corner and lay on the horn!' I thought, 'I'm going to do something better than that.'"
So, after a difficult defeat, Watterson players and coaches changed into Gforce hats and shirts, dried and cleaned themselves as best as possible, then made the side trip to the guru of Gforce.
A former neighbor of Mariemont supporter Tiger Nelson's caught the visit on video upon seeing the Watterson charter bus pull up in the neighborhood. He quickly shared the video.
"It was the coolest thing ever," Nelson said. "To me, this was like something you'd see in the last 30 seconds of (ESPN) Sportscenter."
Sauter has known Harden as a player and a coach, and the two have children of similar ages.
"It's time to honor friendship," Sauter said of the Watterson side trip. "We were honoring one of the biggest ambassadors of the game."
When the bus arrived, Graham's wife came out to greet Sauter. The boys could not physically be close to Harden due to his condition. However, each player walked to the window and paid his respects.
"Each of the guys walked up, and I wanted my son to meet him," Sauter said. "It certainly made us feel special. It's what lacrosse is all about. We just really have a ton of respect for Graham and the entire Mariemont program."
Harden is nonverbal but is still able to effectively communicate with his eyes.
"We were talking to each other without saying words," Sauter said. "I told him I didn't come down here to give Steve (Peterson) a big hug and a kiss."
Harden was able to text a response to Sauter's rainy, chilly visit.
"Chris is a good dude," Harden wrote. "Cold and wet isn't my cup of tea these days."
The exchange ended with Harden sending the fist-bump emoji.
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Peterson regularly brings food to the Harden family and reviews game tape with Graham. With a wink and a nod, Harden converses in lacrosse just as he did in the weekend visit with the wet men from Watterson.