Thanks to the Newspress for covering this alumni story:
Mariner football player an inspiration to team (#53 in the picture)
BY MAE YOUSIF-BASHI
mbashi@news-press.com
The Mariner High School football team only recorded one win this past season, but it was still a year that none of the players or coaches will ever forget.
Mariner student and football player Michael Swearingen, 18, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma — a form of bone cancer — nearly three years ago. He spent much of his sophomore year undergoing chemotherapy. At one point, he wondered if he would make it through high school.
But he said football and his faith in God helped him recover. Swearingen is now a cancer survivor, and this year, as a senior, he proudly wore the No. 53 jersey and took the field with the varsity team.
“This year, every time I took the field, it was surreal,” Swearingen said. “To put on that black and silver jersey and pads, I felt so honored.”
Swearingen’s courage in the face of adversity helped inspire his teammates, and they always kept him in their thoughts and prayers.
“He taught us never to give up, to keep fighting and in the end everything will be all right,” said team captain Mario Perone, 17.
Swearingen said he felt a calmness around him even throughout the confusion of dealing with school, his illness and trying to spend extra time with his family.
“It was God and all of my friends and family praying for me,” he said.
Swearingen was undergoing chemotherapy when defensive coordinator Fernando Vazquez joined the team in 2007. He remembers Swearingen being bald and thin. Since he couldn’t play that sophomore year, Swearingen helped on the sidelines and educated himself on the game.
Halfway through the year, the Make a Wish Foundation flew him up to Ohio to meet the coaches and many of the football players of his favorite team — the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“There were all of these players I’ve looked up to for so long,” Swearingen said. “It was awesome. It just added to my dream of getting back to playing football.”
He kept up with his school work despite missing some school days. And he began building up his strength again as soon as his treatments were over. He lifted weights in the school gym with the football team and practiced hard.
“He has heart,” Vazquez said. “He’s a true story of what dedication can do.”
His junior year, Swearingen got back onto the field as a defensive tackle noseguard on the junior varsity team. Coaches pulled him out of parts of games at times, but he took constructive criticism and worked on his weaknesses, Vazquez said. As the season moved forward, he was pulled out less and less.
“He wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he was so consistent,” Vazquez said. “He played the last part of every game, whether we were winning or losing, as if the score was 0-0.”
Swearingen’s coaches and teammates pushed him to keep moving forward. And through it all, he continued to inspire everyone around him.
“He came out and he out-worked everybody,” said football coach Mitch Curliss. “He had more heart than anybody. I don’t think he knows how hard he worked. It’s unbelievable.”
The season ended with only one win, but that was a big one against Fort Myers High School, which Mariner hadn’t defeated in 10 years.
“Even when we were losing, he always kept me up,” said teammate JJ Mendoza, 18. “Sometimes you want to give up and you just look over at him and you keep going ... he was the glue to our team.”
Swearingen hopes to attend Florida State University after graduating in June. When he crosses the stage, he’ll already have 19 college credit hours. Swearingen intends on pursuing a career in mass communications, specializing in digital media. He would also like to get involved in some type of coaching.
Swearingen recently completed an internship with an ESPN affiliated studio in Englewood, where he produced some outdoor shows.
“Having gone through everything, and even through chemo, it was something I could still excel in,” he said.
Mariner football player an inspiration to team (#53 in the picture)
BY MAE YOUSIF-BASHI
mbashi@news-press.com
The Mariner High School football team only recorded one win this past season, but it was still a year that none of the players or coaches will ever forget.
Mariner student and football player Michael Swearingen, 18, was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma — a form of bone cancer — nearly three years ago. He spent much of his sophomore year undergoing chemotherapy. At one point, he wondered if he would make it through high school.
But he said football and his faith in God helped him recover. Swearingen is now a cancer survivor, and this year, as a senior, he proudly wore the No. 53 jersey and took the field with the varsity team.
“This year, every time I took the field, it was surreal,” Swearingen said. “To put on that black and silver jersey and pads, I felt so honored.”
Swearingen’s courage in the face of adversity helped inspire his teammates, and they always kept him in their thoughts and prayers.
“He taught us never to give up, to keep fighting and in the end everything will be all right,” said team captain Mario Perone, 17.
Swearingen said he felt a calmness around him even throughout the confusion of dealing with school, his illness and trying to spend extra time with his family.
“It was God and all of my friends and family praying for me,” he said.
Swearingen was undergoing chemotherapy when defensive coordinator Fernando Vazquez joined the team in 2007. He remembers Swearingen being bald and thin. Since he couldn’t play that sophomore year, Swearingen helped on the sidelines and educated himself on the game.
Halfway through the year, the Make a Wish Foundation flew him up to Ohio to meet the coaches and many of the football players of his favorite team — the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“There were all of these players I’ve looked up to for so long,” Swearingen said. “It was awesome. It just added to my dream of getting back to playing football.”
He kept up with his school work despite missing some school days. And he began building up his strength again as soon as his treatments were over. He lifted weights in the school gym with the football team and practiced hard.
“He has heart,” Vazquez said. “He’s a true story of what dedication can do.”
His junior year, Swearingen got back onto the field as a defensive tackle noseguard on the junior varsity team. Coaches pulled him out of parts of games at times, but he took constructive criticism and worked on his weaknesses, Vazquez said. As the season moved forward, he was pulled out less and less.
“He wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but he was so consistent,” Vazquez said. “He played the last part of every game, whether we were winning or losing, as if the score was 0-0.”
Swearingen’s coaches and teammates pushed him to keep moving forward. And through it all, he continued to inspire everyone around him.
“He came out and he out-worked everybody,” said football coach Mitch Curliss. “He had more heart than anybody. I don’t think he knows how hard he worked. It’s unbelievable.”
The season ended with only one win, but that was a big one against Fort Myers High School, which Mariner hadn’t defeated in 10 years.
“Even when we were losing, he always kept me up,” said teammate JJ Mendoza, 18. “Sometimes you want to give up and you just look over at him and you keep going ... he was the glue to our team.”
Swearingen hopes to attend Florida State University after graduating in June. When he crosses the stage, he’ll already have 19 college credit hours. Swearingen intends on pursuing a career in mass communications, specializing in digital media. He would also like to get involved in some type of coaching.
Swearingen recently completed an internship with an ESPN affiliated studio in Englewood, where he produced some outdoor shows.
“Having gone through everything, and even through chemo, it was something I could still excel in,” he said.
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