PLAINVIEW - This past summer, Plainview Head Wrestling coach Dean Boyer noticed he was feeling a little more tired than usual. Given the ongoing pandemic, he and his wife, Christi, thought he had contracted the coronavirus. After testing negative for COVID, they found out the real issue was actually much worse.

“I got home and my wife says, ‘they want you down at the Buffett Cancer Center tomorrow morning. They think you might have Leukemia,’” remembers Coach Boyer.

A blood test showed Coach Boyer had a white blood cell count that was 25 times higher than it is supposed to be. Still, the news was hard to believe.

“I just figured it was going to be a misdiagnosis and I was going to be sent home because I felt pretty good.”

With the diagnosis confirmed, Coach Boyer is considered “high risk”, meaning exposure to the Coronavirus could prove fatal. He and his wife made the decision to have him step down from his position as an assistant football coach, and he turned over his wrestling duties to his long time assistant, and close friend, Chad Schumacher.

Coach Schumacher says, “It’s tough. I don’t make friends that deep… it is tough not having him.”

The mats at Plainview High are where Coach Boyer built his legacy. His discipline, dedication, and attention to detail have helped the Pirates win four state championships, and his team says their beloved coach’s intense mindset is what will now help him win the fight for his life.

Scout Ashburn says, “He will beat it. He’s the toughest guy I know”, and Alizae Mejia added, “We all know he’s a fighter and he’s strong. If we can all be like him we will come out on top.”

Coach Boyer starts his next round of treatment this week. He will have seven days of chemotherapy, leading up to a bone marrow transplant.

Coach Boyer tells us, “From that day on I have 100 days that I have to be in isolation because I have to be really careful about any kind of sickness.”

The time in isolation will likely be lonely, but Coach Boyer says it will help being able to stream his team’s matches, and break down the film. He says he wants the team to focus on their main goal: Defending their state title.