'He left this place better': East Tackles Cancer event has special meaning for Patriots after death of former assistant coach

APPLETON − The Appleton East football team's matchup with Fond du Lac on Friday at Pickett Field is about more than the game.

The Patriots will host their annual East Tackles Cancer event, which has raised nearly $130,000 since 2012 for various cancer foundations, Patriots head coach Mark Krommenacker said.

"There will be T-shirts for sale, a ton of raffles, prizes and more," Krommenacker said. "At the conclusion of the game, there is an opportunity for survivors, family members, friends and caregivers to walk a lap on the track with or in honor of someone that has dealt with cancer, recognizing that no one fights alone."

The game will have added meaning for Krommenacker and the team, with former assistant coach Josh Uttermark passing away in July after battling leukemia. Uttermark, 34, is survived by his wife Karlee and two young daughters, Reese and Nora.

Krommenacker and Uttermark were close friends, having both graduated from Wisconsin Rapids High School and playing football together at Rapids. Uttermark joined the East staff when Krommenacker became head coach in 2018 and the two enjoyed early success with the Patriots the following season, when East finished 6-4 and reached the WIAA playoffs.

"He was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2016 and he was kind of battling that throughout the time he was coaching with us," Krommenacker said. "He fought that for seven years and he was going through the ups and downs the whole time. But he was a great example of a lot of things that we talk about in our program, which I think is why it's so relevant to not only what we're doing this week but talking to kids about it and understanding that there's people that are going through a lot tougher times than we're going through and just to be grateful for everything that we have."

Krommenacker added Uttermark's dedication to physical fitness helped him battle his illness for seven years and that it was a "great example" of how hard work is something to be treasured.

"That's the reason that he had the freedom to fight this for so long like he did," Krommenacker said. "It's a great example of that work that he put in and that fight that he had was what kept him going and kept him fighting. He had two young daughters throughout this process as well. He was just talking about how he had to keep fighting and get back home to the girls. That discipline that he had gave him the freedom to see those girls and just keep battling."

The Patriots are 2-3 this season and have made measurable improvement from last season's 1-8 record. East lost a close contest to Menasha, 21-19, in Week 1 and led Neenah in Week 3 after three quarters before the Rockets pulled away in the fourth quarter.

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The road back to a winning program has been long, but Uttermark was a contributing member to the hopeful resurgence.

"One message that we talk about in our program that Josh believed in and talked to our team about was the belief of 'E plus R equals O, or Event plus Response equals Outcome,' " Krommenacker said. "In life we cannot control events, good or bad. And we can't completely control the outcome either, but our response is always up to us and we can influence the outcome.

"Obviously in Josh's case, his response was to fight. He didn't complain or feel sorry for himself, instead he fought and scratched and clawed for years in order to get the best outcome he could and have the freedom to be with his girls. He left this place better, that's for sure."

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton East Tackles Cancer event has added importance for Patriots