Another night of competitive Little Hawkeye Conference basketball carried extra significance about who wasn’t there to cheer on his favorite high school teams.

Pella High School’s coaches from both the boys and girls teams donned suits and sneakers; as did the Dutch boys team pregame before the doubleheader against Norwalk, to honor the ongoing fight against cancer School Resource Officer J.R. Pearson is handling away from the building. J.R. joined the Pella Police Department in 2019 and has been the resource officer since January of 2021. The Suits and Sneakers initiative is part of the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer program.

Pella Head Boys Basketball Coach and Vice Principal Derek Schulte says ever since Pearson has taken the role, he has embraced the opportunity to meet and work with students of all ages at both Pella and Pella Christian in a positive manner.

“What a great guy, and a guy that invests in our school and comes in and builds relationships and is somebody that shows up at our open gyms in the fall, might show up in the summer to workouts, and is at our games and practices, and somebody we definitely miss in our hallways right now,” he says.

In addition to the efforts of those on the court, the Pella student section wore pink to also honor Pearson’s fight.