BERKELEY — Certainly one of Casey Moreno’s greatest attributes is his capacity to compartmentalize any state of affairs and transfer ahead.
Whether or not that’s making in-game changes or modifications to his educating plan, the St. Mary’s-Berkeley soccer coach is not any stranger to adapting on the fly.
However when he received the decision from his physician 4 years in the past, Moreno struggled to gather his ideas.
“I always felt like cancer would never touch me,” Moreno mentioned. “I feel initially it was a shock, after which as soon as I settled in that this isn’t a dream, I knew this was actually occurring. …
“I really was scared.”
Since 2020, Moreno, 57, has been battling an opponent more durable than any he has coached or performed towards: prostate most cancers.
For 4 years, Moreno solely instructed these in his internal circle about his analysis. For the soccer lifer, two issues saved him going.
“The thing that I thought about was who was going to take care of my kids and I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to coach football anymore,” Moreno mentioned.
After an extended most cancers journey, Moreno is completely happy to be again on the sidelines and training in his first season at St. Mary’s. He was deemed cancer-free this previous July and hopes his story can encourage sufferers in comparable positions.
“As a cancer survivor, I just want people to realize the highs and the lows,” Moreno mentioned. “Each most cancers is completely different and so is each course of, nevertheless it’s extraordinarily difficult.
“One factor I do know for positive is that there is no such thing as a method somebody that has most cancers needs to be by themselves and need to cope with it by themselves. One factor I might let you know is that individuals which might be coping with most cancers are powerful, however members of the family and buddies could make the most important distinction. The those who we work with could make an enormous distinction in our lives, and
I’m extraordinarily blessed.”
St. Mary’s head coach Casey Moreno seems on from the sideline through the second half of their soccer recreation towards Arroyo Excessive at St. Mary’s Excessive College in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Moreno was a proficient participant earlier than making his identify as a coach. A 1985 graduate of Moreau Catholic, Moreno performed for legendary highschool soccer coach Tim Walsh. He went on to play collegiately at Sonoma State, the place he was coached by future TCU coach Gary Patterson.
After his enjoying profession ended, Moreno went proper into teaching. His skills as a defensive play caller had been observed early on by among the most revered coaches within the East Bay.
Paul Perenon, a former longtime head coach at Bishop O’Dowd and Mt. Eden, first met Moreno throughout a 1996 recreation when Moreno was the defensive coordinator at San Lorenzo Excessive.
“I went over to him, put my hand out, shook his hand, and I said, ‘Coach I don’t know who you are, but you were a master tonight,’” Perenon mentioned of his first dialog with Moreno. “I told him, ‘You’re going to make a name for yourself in this thing, and I look forward to matching wits with you and doing battle with you in the years to come.’”
Moreno would finally get his first shot as head coach at San Lorenzo in 1997 and made head teaching stops at Hayward and Dublin within the 2000s. After he was let go from Dublin in 2011, Moreno rebuilt himself as a coach and took on jobs as a defensive coordinator again at San Lorenzo and at Granada.
Identified for his capacity to forge a connection along with his gamers, Moreno received his first head teaching place in over a decade in 2023 when he took over for a proficient however undisciplined Faculty Park workforce.
His stint didn’t final lengthy as he was let go after going 4-6 in his first and solely season on the Nice Hill faculty. However when former St. Mary’s coach John Trottman left this previous low season to teach Castro Valley, the perfect job opened up for Moreno.
St. Mary’s head coach Casey Moreno seems on from the sideline duirng the second half of their soccer recreation towards Arroyo Excessive at St. Mary’s Excessive College in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
“I’m a man of faith and everything happens for a reason,” Moreno mentioned. “I’m glad it didn’t work out (at College Park) because the opportunity to coach at St. Mary’s showed itself the rest is history. I’m where I belong.”
Whereas his preliminary analysis confirmed his most cancers was low-risk, Moreno needed to take steps to vary the best way he approached his day-to-day routine.
When sufferers are identified with prostate most cancers, they usually need to examine their Gleason rating frequently. In accordance with the Nationwide Most cancers Institute, a Gleason rating is a “way of describing prostate cancer based on how abnormal the cancer cells in a biopsy sample look under a microscope and how quickly they are likely to grow and spread.” The Gleason rating ranges from scores of 6 to 10.
Moreno’s Gleason rating was a 6 throughout his preliminary analysis, that means his most cancers was low grade. However similar to he prepares for an opponent on gameday, Moreno navigated most cancers with the identical consideration to element.
After talks along with his physician, Moreno determined the perfect technique to proceed teaching was to implore a method known as energetic surveillance – a therapy plan that requires frequent testing and a biopsy no less than annually.
Whereas receiving therapy, Moreno nonetheless needed to discover a method to put together his groups every week and be a household man at residence. Some days had been more durable than others, however Moreno leaned on his longtime accomplice Michelle Allman for help.
Allman first met Moreno at Moreau, the place they had been highschool sweethearts. They went separate methods after commencement, however reconnected after a highschool reunion years again.
All through Moreno’s restoration, Allman was his rock. She was the one who saved him on monitor along with his therapy and who might discuss to Moreno about something he was combating on any given day.
St. Mary’s head coach Casey Moreno offers directions to quarterback Sutton Ralls (2) through the first half of their soccer recreation at St. Mary’s Excessive College in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
“It was a fine line that I was trying to balance,” Allman mentioned. “You don’t want every day to go like, ‘Hey, so how was your prostate cancer?’ I wanted him to have some downtime and get lost in football, teaching and everything he loves. I didn’t want the cancer to be so consuming, even though you know it’s in the back of your mind. For me, it was just being that person to keep everything on track because he’s got enough going on.”
In July, proper earlier than the beginning of this season, Moreno opted to get his most cancers eliminated via what is named a Da Vinci process. The Da Vinci process is a robotic-assisted surgical procedure that helps surgeons carry out surgical procedures extra precisely.
“It wasn’t a fun process,” Moreno mentioned. “There’s no way to prepare yourself for what that all is until you actually experience it. I felt like I got hit by a freight train. It was that bad when I woke up and just the recovery is a lot. You have to learn to live life a whole lot differently.”
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Moreno has come out of his most cancers journey with a brand new perspective on life and training. The defensive specialist continues to be as old-school as they arrive, however he’s too in love with the sport to be pushed out by not altering his methods.
For years, Moreno by no means shared his most cancers analysis along with his groups, however has been extra open about it along with his gamers at St. Mary’s. Even in his first 12 months with the workforce, gamers have already come to admire the longtime coach.
“He’s definitely persevered through a lot,” St. Mary’s quarterback Sutton Ralls mentioned. “He’s been doing pretty well about not showing us weakness. You really can’t tell that there’s anything wrong with him.”
On the sphere, Moreno earned the respect of his contemporaries a very long time in the past. However after popping out of the final 4 years alive all whereas not lacking a beat as a coach, he’ll have cemented his personal distinctive legacy whatever the wins and losses.
“I’ve seen him go through prostate cancer and some personal things in his life and he’s emerged better because of it,” Perenon mentioned. “Casey is equivalent to those absolute masterminds that are great coaches. He’s a role model for kids and holds them to standards. He has the highest level of integrity, demanding kids match the expectation and not expecting anything less. I don’t think there’s a coach around that cares more about his players than Casey Moreno.”
