Similar to the importance of the pitcher/catcher battery for the success of a baseball team, the relationship developed by a football quarterback and his center is paramount to the positive accomplishments of a football team. For former Warrior Run High School QB Charlie Fisher, currently, the wide receiver coach at Arizona State University, the bond he shared with his high school center Rick Foresman continues to be perpetuated following Foresman’s unexpected passing in 2012.

“This will be the eighth year we have conducted the Rick Foresman Memorial Golf Tournament in Rick’s memory,” Fisher explained. “We grew up together, and he was my high school center, and I remain very close with his family. We lost Rick seven years ago. I was actually in Arizona attending some spring training games watching my Giants play when I received the news. It just became natural that we were going to do something to honor his memory.”

“My goal has always been to honor Rick, and at the same time, I don’t ever want to see a kid have to pay to play sports. I think that is one of the bad roads we’ve gone down in America, making kids pay to play youth sports. Our proceeds go back into youth football, Little League Baseball, soccer, cheerleading — wherever there is a need for us to help at the youth level.”

“It is important to be able to help keep kids involved in various sports,” added Ed Reaser, Fisher’s cousin, and fundraising chairman. “We don’t want monetary considerations to be a reason why some kids don’t get off the couch and get outdoors to enjoy activities that can be beneficial in their lives. For some families, cost factors make it difficult for their children to get involved with some of the sports leagues. If we can help alleviate that problem and get more kids involved, that’s what we want to do.”

The tournament will be held Friday, June 28 at the Wynding Brook course just outside of Milton. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. A light lunch will follow it with tee-off time set for 1:00 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. dinner will be held featuring a wide array of sports-related auction items, including a Saquan Barkley autographed jersey. The cost to play is $75.00 per golfer. Interested individuals can register by contacting Ed Reaser at ed.reaser@gmail.com or by calling 570-412-2965. The tournament is played under the four-person scramble format. During the last several years the tournament has seen 32 teams taking part.

“It has been a fabulous tournament,” Fisher said. “We’ve raised a lot of money with the proceeds going back to youth sports programs in the Warrior Run School District area. Ricky was very much involved in youth sports and was a youth football coach. Since we both grew up and played at Warrior Run, we wanted to help give back to the kids playing sports there today. We have folks who support our tournament from outside the Warrior Run School district, and although the majority of golfers that play are from that area, we have several who come in from all over to help us out. At the end of the day, regardless of where you are from, we are all supporting the cause of our youth.”

‘We use a best-ball format and try to keep the playing moving along. It has nothing to do with how good a golfer an individual may be, but it has everything to do with their willingness to give back. Wynding Brook has been great to us during the past seven years. We’ve averaged between 110 and 135 golfers. We have a meal for them at the end of the day and have a wide variety of sports memorabilia that we auction off. With what I do, it gives me a platform to be able to obtain a lot of autographed items that we raffle off as part of the fundraising effort.”

The tournament has a Board of Directors in place to review the youth sports needs and then make the determinations as to where the golf tournament proceeds will go.

“When we began the tournament we were using the funds to support youth football, but then expanded into other sports,” explained Reaser. “The money we distribute is directed at youth sports in the Warrior Run area from eighth grade on down. We have a standing committee that reviews the various funding requests we receive, and we try to help as many groups as we can. Although the proceeds may differ from year to year we generally are able to distribute between $7,000 and $10,000 every year back into the community for youth sports.”

Football has been Fisher’s life since the day he departed Warrior Run, but his roots are still firmly planted there.

“Since the day I left the area in 1981, I’ve said I will always give back to where I came from. I wouldn’t be here and have had the opportunities I’ve been given in football if it wouldn’t have been for a bunch of young youth sports coaches who helped me along the way. My Dad farmed, and he couldn’t take me to every game because of the work he had to do. But I had a lot of people invest in me and help me. To me, that’s what it is all about — give back, help out in any way you can. Whatever you can do to help us, we are going to make it right within the community.”

Fisher and Reaser would welcome your support of this year’s Rick Foresman tournament!