WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — On Monday night, Wilkes-Barre's Holy Redeemer boys' soccer team beat Riverside to advance to the next round of the District 2 playoffs.
First-year head coach Rob Dougherty is proud of the team for making it this far into the postseason.
"Seven years ago, they won the conference, and then they lost the first game in the district playoffs. They've been knocking on the door for district playoffs for the last several years," Coach Rob Dougherty said.
But there's been a heavy weight carried by Coach Dougherty and the team.
In August, his wife Doreen passed away just as the season started.
Doreen was the principal at Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre, and her loss rippled through the community.
Since then, Coach Dougherty has had the support of his daughter Shaina Aquilina, who helps out on the sidelines when she can, and his son Devin as his assistant coach.
It's been healing for them all.
"Having this release where we can go and just get our minds off of everything, hang out, goof off, and have fun," Devin Dougherty said. "That definitely helps get through some very difficult times."
The Royals have carried Doreen's memory with them all season, wearing her initials D.D. on their chests and playing to win it all for her and the Dougherty family.
"It's really an awesome memory. These kids rallied around not only us but the school as a community," Rob said.
"If I could do it all, I would. Team, of course, Coach Rob, of course, and Mrs. Dougherty, of course, for everybody," said senior Mark Atherton
The Dougherty family says they miss having her in the stands, but Doreen would be proud of her school, this team, and her family.
"More so that me and my dad haven't gotten into a fistfight so far," Devin laughed.
"My mom always loved attending sports events. We all played all kinds of sports growing up, so sports have always been a big part of all of our lives, and I think it's been really fun, but she would've loved this," Shaina Aquilina said.
Holy Redeemer hopes to continue to win in Doreen's honor when they play Lake-Lehman on Wednesday.