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NILES — Trenton Scott had a Senior Night he will never forget.

The 6-3, 285-pound offensive lineman helped pave the way for the offense in Niles’ 49-14 victory over Plainwell to keep the Vikings undefeated and clinch at least a share of the Wolverine Conference title. The game was especially meaningful for Scott, who was able to share his moment with his father Keith and mother Nicole both in attendance. Keith, four days removed from having surgery to address his stage four prostate cancer, was able to recover enough to see his son shine under the Friday night lights.

“It meant a lot,” said Scott after the game. “I was worried he wasn’t going to be able to make it for Senior Night. I was worried at first, but he actually came out of surgery Monday and was released Tuesday… It just meant a lot for him to be here. It definitely made me happy. He is one of my role models in life.”

A lifelong resident of Niles, Keith has always loved Vikings football, a program he feels is now thriving. He has been assisting the athletic department for more than 10 years, staying on after former athletic director Jeff Upton retired and Matt Brawley was hired.

“Both have been really good to me,” he said.

Keith described his son’s start in youth football, noting that youth wrestling helped Scott learn how to use his physical gifts.

“He was always a big kid but he was always scared he was gonna hurt somebody,” Keith said. “So it was all about teaching him that you’re not going to hurt them and there’s a way to handle someone without hurting them.”

By Scott’s second year of youth football, Keith could see the promise in this current senior class.

“You could tell back then that this group of kids could be really good in high school,” Keith said. “That class [of seniors] has played together the whole time. I remember when Trenton was in eighth grade, the freshman class above him was saying, ‘Man, we can’t wait until you guys get here.’ This class had all the big kids and all the linemen. You could see the promising future, but it took a good coach to get them there.”

Keith said that his journey with prostate cancer began about three months prior, when a checkup led to a biopsy and subsequent PET scan to determine the severity. He was told he needed to have surgery. The surgery, a six-hour procedure using robotics, took place on Monday. He received confirmation that everything was removed and that he should be fine after a couple of weeks.

He advised people to get regular checkups, noting that cancer can occur even in people who do not smoke or drink.

“The last two months have been crazy,” Keith said. “I knew I could defeat it. I just didn’t want Trenton to worry about it or my daughter Amani to worry about it. Cancer is not easy but this is one of the ‘easier’ ones to defeat, so I was very thankful for that.”

For Keith, after everything he has been through, walking out with Scott on Senior Night was a game he was not going to miss.

“I knew after I had my surgery, they were never gonna stop me from coming out here,” Keith said. “I’ve been watching Trenton play since he was seven, and I’ll watch him maybe through college. I told myself I wouldn’t miss Senior Day. Even if I was still in the hospital, I would have found a way to get out. I’m so proud of what he accomplished and that he helped build this program with his fellow brothers so other little kids can see what Niles can become.”