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Loss of big-hearted Louis-Charles is another painful lesson

Erick Louis-Charles brought a sweet pair of shoes to the shot put finals of the Class 3A boys state track and field meet in 2009.

That was an issue, however, as Louis-Charles and Rolling Meadows throws coach Frank Haralambakis prepared to head over to Eastern Illinois University's O'Brien Stadium in Charleston. Louis-Charles, better known as LC to teammates, coaches and friends, had gotten hooked on Haralambakis' suggestion of eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches before meets because of the protein they provided.

Louis-Charles had so many packets of honey in his equipment bag and some of them broke open.

“He was going to have to compete in the state meet with his shoes lathered in honey,” Haralambakis recalled with a laugh. “He said, 'Well, gotta go coach.' He kept things even-keeled.”

Louis-Charles wound up tasting tremendous success with a fourth-place medal. It was part of a successful and memorable time where he was also a football standout and wrestler at Meadows.

Unfortunately, all those who were close to Louis-Charles during those times have are memories as he became part of the ongoing violence epidemic in Chicago last week.

Louis-Charles, who was living in Mount Prospect, was standing on the porch of a house in the dangerous Englewood neighborhood on the evening of Sept. 6. Gunshots rang out and a slug hit the 25-year-old Louis-Charles in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his death was ruled a homicide, according to published reports.

The mind-numbing murder numbers are at 486 for 2017, as of Thursday morning, after 751 in 2016, according to dnainfo.com. But Louis-Charles was far from just another statistic to those who knew him at Meadows.

“He was one of the good ones,” said Doug Millsaps, who was his head football coach at Meadows.

“He really was a special kid,” said Meadows girls athletic director Jim Voyles.

Louis-Charles made a quick impression on former Schaumburg standout Bob Meyer after he came to Meadows and became the defensive line coach.

“The first thing I noticed his junior year was his leadership status, just among the defense,” Meyer said. “He was a gentle giant ... but he's the best I've seen since I've been here in terms of intensity.

“His nature was very gentle and he brought every kid in. You have different characteristics on a team and he was the one who always took to every kid and treated everybody as an equal. He was a very genuine person.”

Louis-Charles was a captain with current New England Patriots' quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo when Meadows won the Mid-Suburban East title in 2009. Not only did Louis-Charles excel on the defensive end of the ball but he also became an impact player in the running game to complement Garoppolo's passing.

Bob Meyer remembered how well Louis-Charles performed that season in big games against Elk Grove and Daily Herald All-Area captain Nick Meyer and Prospect and standout quarterback Miles Osei. But his impact went beyond sacks, tackles for losses and touchdowns.

“Basically LC, for us on the football team and the school in general, was always positive,” said Meadows softball coach Tony Wolanski, who was the team's defensive coordinator at the time. “He had a certain way to pick up his teammates when things were going bad. He was one of those kids who always put his teammates before himself.

“He was on varsity for three years and we never had any discipline issues and he was never really negative. He was always responsible and he would man up to it if he made a mistake.”

Nor would he back down from a challenge, as he showed at the state track meet his junior year. Louis-Charles was in impressive shot put circles as he finished behind champion Dan Block of Lake Park, 2010 discus champion Marcus Popenfoose of Huntley and 2010 and 2011 shot champion and current IHSA record-holder Jermaine Block of Lake Park.

“I never really imagined him having a passion for the shot put and discus the way he did,” Haralambakis said, “but it fueled his competitive fire because he was a competitive kid. It was remarkable to see him around all of these talented people.

“To have the chance to see LC in all of his glory at the state meet — he looked around and took it all in and realized he belonged there. That gave us a glimpse of what he could do if he became a college athlete.”

Bob Meyer recalled being in the athletic office with Wolanski and talking to the Army offensive coordinator, who wanted Louis-Charles to play fullback in their system. He was going to enroll in the West Point Prep academy for a year, but Haralambakis said there was an issue with some things academically that didn't fall into place even though Louis-Charles was typically a “B” student at Meadows.

“It makes you think of what type of difference that could have made if he had gotten in there,” Haralambakis said.

Louis-Charles did seem to find a good landing spot at Meyer's alma mater, Millikin University in downstate Decatur. Meyer recalled that he was playing well, starting at defensive end and the coaching staff loved having him on the team, but problems with his financial aid package led to him leaving school.

But Louis-Charles ultimately joined the Army.

“Right after he finished boot camp he came back and had a positive spirit,” Haralambakis said. “Things were looking up. He was optimistic about what was out there ahead of him.”

Meyer said his most recent contact with Louis-Charles was a congratulatory text from him after Meadows won the MSL East title last year.

“It really is a tragedy,” Haralambakis said.

“Tough to see,” Meyer said.

Especially since it was only two years ago former Meadows star Mikal Johnson was shot and killed in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.

There have been no updated media reports of any suspects in Louis-Charles' murder. So he leaves behind two daughters and other grieving relatives and friends searching for answers for someone they believe was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“With Mikal a couple of years ago and LC, it's hard when those situations happen,” Wolanski said. “I have twin nephews who are 26 and we talk all the time that you have to be careful about what areas you go to.

“In today's society and today's world, people don't care what type of person you are.”

To people in the suburbs, the violence in Chicago can seem as if it is occurring in another world.

The death of Erick Louis-Charles shows it's not as far away as we might think.

marty.maciaszek@gmail.com

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