Local High School Football Team Unified, Inspired To Succeed After Coach's Son Falls Ill

GALT (CBS13) - You can bet there are some serious nerves for the Liberty Ranch High School football team in Galt.  They are getting set to play in the sectional championships tomorrow night. But it's not just a game for them.

Their head coach's nine-year-old son, Timmy, is fighting for his life and is back in the hospital as he battles stage-four lymphoma. And tomorrow night's game is dedicated to Timmy.

"It pushed us a little harder to see someone in our town go through that," said Rick Houten, the team's quarterback.

"Whenever everything was down on top of us we just came back up," said Brandon Ritchie, right guard and middle linebacker.

"It was just playing for something greater than ourselves that brought us together," said Mario Bautista, a player.

Every practice, every play, every game means something to this team. The Liberty Ranch High School hawks of Galt aren't just playing to win, they are playing for Timmy.

"Hollywood couldn't have written what we've been through this year," said Kevin Tibbets, the team's interim-acting head coach.

Tibbets took over when head coach Warren Schroder got the devastating news that Timmy was sick.

"When tragedy struck, you know we all pulled together as a family," said Tibbets.

And by pulling together, he means turning around a season and doing it for more than just the team.

The hawks were 0-4 as the season got underway.

"We were the worst, the underdogs, no one thought we were going to win," said Houten.

When Schroder stepped away from his football family to step up for his wife and children, the school brought back two former coaches to help. They revamped the offense and helped to take the hawks from a winless team to an eight-game winning streak and a chance to win it all.

"They got more determined, came together and started playing for not only the coach and his son, but for each other," said Tibbets.

And they say that is taking them to the top.

"In the beginning we were individuals, we had a lot of talent, but we're more of a family now," said Ritchie.

As they learn life lessons along the way.

"I'm very proud of them, not because of wins and losses, as I told them last week, but because I know they'll all be successful in life having gone through this and banded together," said Joe Saramago, Liberty Ranch High School's assistant principal.

And now they have their sights set on getting another win and hope they make coach Schroder proud while they play for Timmy.

"It would mean everything for him and us to bring a smile on him and his son's face," said Bautista. "We're playing for our school, our community, and for Timmy.

Liberty Ranch takes on the Sierra Timberwolves at Elk Grove High School at 6 p.m. for the division 4 section championship.

Timmy's mom say he's responding to the treatment and doing well.