Bay Port remains #LeftyStrong

SUAMICO – The most important 2 minutes of Bay Port’s 49-0 shutout win over De Pere Friday took place right before kickoff.

Head coach Gary Westerman took to the public-address microphone to speak about an individual who has played a vital part in the Pirates’ success over the years.

Eric “Lefty” LeFevre remains an inspiration for the undefeated team this season.

#LeftyStrong was painted on the track after the coach, colleague, mentor and friend to all at the school passed away earlier this year following a long battle against cancer.

With his family in attendance, Bay Port raised money before the WIAA Division 1 first-round playoff game for a scholarship fund it is starting in Lefty’s name that will go to one of the school’s football or track and field athletes, the two sports he passionately coached.

“You won’t find a better man than Lefty,” former Bay Port athletic director Otis Chambers said. “He loved the kids and loved being around them. He was a great man, and I miss him every day.”

Lefty coached youth and high school sports for almost 40 years.

The 1974 Green Bay West graduate coached at his alma mater for several years while working for the City of Green Bay.

He later came to Bay Port, where his specialty was coaching defensive backs in football and sprinters in track.

“He had an infectious smile,” Bay Port assistant football and track coach Eric Boehm said. “He’s one of the most positive people you could ever know and was such a hard worker.”

After having surgery to remove a kidney where a tumor had formed, Lefty was going to step away from coaching football in 2012, which was Westerman’s first year at Bay Port.

Westerman was thankful Lefty was willing to return to lead the JV team, which went undefeated for five years under Lefty’s direction.

“Just a great man,” said Westerman, whose team continues to wear “Lefty Strong” decals on the back of its helmets. “He was really positive and really energetic, and meant a lot to our coaching staff and kids. I can’t imagine there is a kid who has ever played for him that could say a bad word. He was just an unbelievably positive person.”

Lefty helped the Bay Port boys track and field team win the WIAA Division 1 state title in 2015.

He did that all while battling cancer that had spread to different parts of his body, which didn’t have a negative bone in it.

“The kids loved him and really rallied around him,” Chambers said. “He was a fighter. You never knew he was sick. He never complained. I remember there were days when he was not feeling well, but he wouldn’t call in. He would come and battled through the day. Every day was a blessing for him and he lived every day to its fullest right to the end.”

Besides sports, Lefty was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed spending time up north at his cabin fishing and hunting.

Westerman considers himself lucky to have gone on two fishing trips to Canada with him.

“I just know when we were in Canada he caught more walleyes in the first day than he had caught in his whole life,” Westerman said.

“The coolest part about it was he would have the excitement of an 8-year-old kid with every fish he caught. That’s an energetic personality that you just can’t make up. That’s how he lived his life. That’s how he coached. That’s how he did everything.”

The Pirates (10-0) did just about everything right in recording its second shutout over De Pere and fifth shutout overall this season.

Bay Port outgained the Redbirds 347-137 in total yards.

The Pirates made three interceptions, including two at the start of the second half by seniors Monty Wendricks and Owen Miller, who returned his 26 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring.

Meanwhile, junior Carter Zawlocki rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Andrew Thomas threw for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Zawlocki and Thomas stepped up to fill the voids left by junior Isaiah Gash and senior Jake Plummer, both of whom missed the game with injuries sustained in last week’s regular-season finale against Green Bay Preble.

“Obviously, at this time of the year everybody is banged up,” said Westerman, whose team will host Appleton North in a second-round game next week. “We just have to do a really good job coaching them up and making sure we’re getting our bodies right to get as many kids back as we can. That certainly is the goal.”

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