GETTYSBURG – Normally at this time of the year, Vern Smith would be busy preparing his Potter County football team for a playoff battle. Instead, the veteran coach is in his own battle with pancreatic cancer.

The 60-year-old Smith suffered a heart attack this past summer. While receiving treatment for that, his bloodwork indicated another major issue. He was soon diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer (it has metastasized to his liver) and began regular chemotherapy treatments. He ended up walking away from his athletic director and head football coaching positions at Gettysburg High School.

Smith said the diagnosis has changed his perspective on life.

“You tend to not sweat the small stuff,” Smith said, “but yet you notice the small stuff.”

While Smith has not been able to coach anymore, it’s worth noting that the Battlers seem to be playing with a renewed purpose and motivation right now. Potter County won back-to-back road playoff games as underdogs, and now take on Faulkton in the semifinals this evening.

Smith hasn’t been able to attend many games, but that has not stopped him from watching them.

“The one good thing that I know of that COVID has done for people has brought about livestreaming,” Smith said. “That’s been an awesome thing for me as far as being able to watch the games, which kind of takes away the difficulty of not being there.”

When asked if it was tough not being able to go to games, Smith responded, “Days when it’s been cold and rainy, not so tough.”

Smith, who has coached the Battlers since 2002, said he now finds himself trying to follow the same advice that he has given to his players through the years.

“You start taking that step back and looking, and OK, the things you say and stuff like that have been turned about back on me” he said, referring to things like not giving up and playing every single play to the fullest. “This is what you were telling us on the field and now you need to do that yourself.”

Smith was able to address the team during the season and gave the players some sound words of advice.

“It’s one of those things where I told them after the homecoming football game, I said you guys need to do what you can do for yourselves and for the team this season. I’m going to fight cancer the best I can and go from there,” Smith said. “Everyone made sure I got a hug that night as far as going through and knowing that they care for me as well.”

Not thinking of himself, Smith also praised the work of Kyle Kusser and Keith Scott who have acquired the coaching duties.

“They’ve been playing hard and I can’t thank the coaches that have taken over enough, because that’s not what they signed up for as far as getting into all the planning and the different things with it, but they’ve taken it and run with it and done well with it,” Smith said. “They want to do well … this has been a tough season for the Battlers football-wise and they want do the best they possibly can to have a good result coming out of it.”

As for Smith, he said he has good days and bad days. He has learned to enjoy the little things like going over to the school for lunch on occasion so he can visit with students and former co-workers.

In the meantime, support for Smith has rolled in from all across the state. Several football foes have donated the entire proceeds of the gate in games against Potter County to his battle. There have been cards, calls, donations, and prayers from a variety of people, some who Smith has never met before.

“It’s very humbling and it makes you go how in the heck am I ever going to do something for all these people and thank all of them, because there’s so many of them that have done things and I don’t even know who they are,” Smith said. “It is amazing that way. I want to thank everybody and I don’t know how to do that. I would like to thank all those people out there that have done those things and that have been praying for me.”

A caring bridge site has been set up at:

https://www.caringbridge.org/public/vernsmithgburg

Smith said that his cancer prognosis has caused him to take inventory of his life and think about what the future might hold.

“There’s a lot of things, you go I want to do this and I want to do this, but I don’t know if I’m going to have time to do this,” Smith said. “Sometimes you have to take that look at reality and that fact some of these things that I wanted get done, are ‘Oh, I’m going to do that at some point and time in my life,’ I may not have the time to do that. That’s kind of a bad way to look at it, because you’re looking at your mortality, but you somewhat have to do that.”

Smith is not about to feel sorry for himself, though.

Instead, he is making the most of his time, and valuing everybody his in life.

“I’ve gotten a lot more hugs and given a lot more hugs than I ever have in my lifetime in the past few months,” Smith said.

And along the way, the support and love continue to pour in.

Smith said it started with a game at rival Sully Buttes when people noticed he wasn’t on the sidelines and checked in on him and then continued when Faulkton coach Shayne Geditz offered him a special place to park or sit for their regular season game in Faulkton.

“It’s kind of snowballed from there,” Smith said.

Smith is extremely grateful for all of those who have rallied around him during this difficult time.

“I’ve had so many people as far as praying for me and wishing me well and stuff like that,” Smith said, “and it’s not even just local, it’s regional and several places across the state that have done things for me.”

As a result, Smith knows one thing for sure, he is not in this fight alone.

“It’s been amazing,”‘ Smith said of the support. “It really has.”