SHORELINE, Wash. — Golf is a solitary sport, but not for the Shorewood High School team.
When they took to the course last week they were not playing for themselves.
"It was for him," said Issey Tanimura. "We were playing for his family, playing for his kids. That's what we were going out to do."
Andrew Hershey taught in Shoreline schools for 27 years; the last 11 of which he coached the Shorewood boys golf team.
He was a mentor, a father figure. More than anything he was an inspiration.
"He was kinda that rock solid dude that was just a rock star at everything he did," said team member Ben Borgida.
Hershey passed away earlier this month from colon cancer. He was just 50 years old.
"He showed up to practice every day with a smile on his face," said Borgida. "He was cracking jokes. He didn't let the cancer affect how his teaching or his coaching was."
News of the coach's death hit even harder after his family revealed Hershey hadn't been screened for colon cancer.
The CDC recommends men and women begin annual screenings at 45. If caught early, 91% of people will survive the diagnosis. Worldwide nearly 1 million people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2020, alone.
"My grandfather passed away from colon cancer so I know how terrible it is, and it's just a sad thing," said Tanimura.
Colorectal cancer screenings aren't something the boys on the Shorewood team have ever really thought about, until now.
"I was just with some older friends and I was telling them about coach Hershey and what he wanted people to know, and it's definitely to get checked," said Borgida.
"Get a colonoscopy," added teammate David Lin. "Get screened and protect your loved ones. Surround yourself with people you love because you never know what could happen to them and how much time you have left."
Wearing ribbons and special jerseys in Hershey's honor the team won their district championship and carried on to state championships where they placed sixth overall.
Athletic Director Joann Fukuma believes it is the first time Shorewood has made it to the state championships as a team.
Their beloved coach is gone but still very much present, and he continues to inspire even in his death .
"It was really really impactful to have someone to play for and to be more motivated than ever," said Lin.
"Andrew found joy out here on the golf course with these kids, every day," said longtime friend and coach Dean Wiley. "That's what I've learned. You have to find that joy."