HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — Coach Guy was unforgettable.
Playing for him was, too. Ask anyone who did - including Bel Air High School sophomores Ameila Mason and Claire Bowden.
"If you talk to any girl that played for him, he was just a ray of sunshine," Amelia recalled.
"He was amazing," said Claire, "He had such an emphasis on creating a team bond and making good teammates."
Guy Santoro coached Amelia and Claire on the 'Forest Hill Heat' softball team. On Tuesday, Santoro's former Heat players and parents will 'Fill the Field' - the Bel Air High School Bobcats will make the trip to play the North Harford High School Hawks, for whom Guy's daughters played. They'll all come together, playing to honor Coach Guy.
At the end of last year, WMAR told you about the Santoro family. Guy, a softball coach loved by all, passed away of pancreatic cancer. Not long after, his wife, Holly, was hospitalized with an aneurysm, but is thankfully still with us.
READ MORE: Community rallies behind Forest Hill family battling tragedy
"It was tough," said Houston Mason, a Harford County parent, "He really became a family friend, in addition to being a coach. So it was very tough, I think it all, it puts life in perspective for sure."
The community response was incredible. A GoFundMe intended to help the family reached north of $82,000.
Now, an idea from local softball umpires comes together: celebrate Coach Guy with the game he loved.
"It'll be very emotional for all of us," Mason continued, "but it'll be very fitting. There's nowhere else you could imagine honoring Guy than on a softball field. So I think all the girls he mentored over the years being there will mean a lot. I know he'll be looking down and being very proud."
The community will honor Guy at the game on Tuesday, April 23 at 4pm.
