Extra Points: Oak Lawn High School Goes Purple for a Good Cause

No, Oak Lawn’s Spartans weren’t looking for a uniform change Friday night. Their purple-clad supporters just wanted to promote the Relay For Life event, which will take place at the school’s football field on May 14, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The hallway outside the gym Friday night was lined with tables of students doing fundraising for the Relay for Life, and they were all wearing purple T-shirts to promote the Relay For Life, which celebrates cancer survivors, remembers love ones lost, and raises funds and awareness for the battle against cancer.

“This is the fifth year we have run this event,” said Jen Wargin, an Oak Lawn teacher who is on the Relay For Life committee. “Jodi Newton and Faith Nelson have worked very hard. We have a committee of 60 students in charge with over 500 students working on this event.

“We will probably make $1,500 to $2,000 tonight,” Wargin continued. “This event is worked on from November through May. It’s a lot of work. The students meet four times a month and our coaches meet twice a month and we get a lot of work done.”

Oak Lawn senior girls basketball player Bridget Niemiec is among the students involved in the Relay For Life event.

“It is a great experience working on Relay For life,” she said.

The sea of purple in the stands for Friday night’s game between Oak Lawn and Richards was full of energy. That energy was felt by the host Spartans, who

As a cancer survivor, I personally appreciate all the energy that is put into events such as Relay For Life.

The Best Play: At the end of the third quarter of Friday night’s game, Jake Campbell and Jon Matthews hit back-to-back buckets, followed by the Bulldogs’ Tim Harvey nailing a three. When the dust settled, the Spartans were leading 47-42 after three quarters. 

Team Records: Oak Lawn improved to 11-10 overall and 5-6 in the South Suburban Red. Richards is 9-14 overall and 7-4 in the same conference.

 Fan-Tastic: The purple-clad crowd was heard throughout the game and was often answered by the Richards fans. The fans were a huge part of this game.

 A Look Ahead: The Spartans are at Evergreen Park on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are at Eisenhower on Tuesday.

Sophomore Score: Richards beat Oak Lawn 43-39 Friday night, as John Montgomery scored 13 points and Raynard Judkins added 12 for the Bulldogs. Shawn Cannon scored 20 points for the Spartans and Martin Einikis added 12.