For many fathers, seeing their sons play in the Little League World Series would be a dream come true.

For Clint Tirpak, being on the field in South Williams-port, Pa., yesterday with his boy and his team was more than a hazy dream. It was the one thing he focused on during some dark days.

The West O'ahu team of 11- and 12-year-olds won its third consecutive game yesterday, securing a spot in the semifinal round of the Little League World Series. The scrappy team from 'Ewa Beach beat a team from Maitland, Fla., 10-0 — the largest margin of victory in the series so far. ESPN already is talking about the "Hawai'i domination."

"It took a lot of hard work to get here," Tirpak said in a telephone interview from Pennsylvania, just hours after yesterday's win. Though he's talking about the team, it's true for him as well.

Last December, Tirpak was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He underwent surgery and missed part of the team's season during his recovery.

He thought he had it beat. After all, he's young — only 40 — strong and in good shape. Survival rates for this type of cancer are excellent — more than 90 percent.

But in April, the cancer returned. Tirpak began three months of chemotherapy in May.

"You'd be surprised. You think you're a strong person, but there's just no way around it," Tirpak said. "They're basically killing you with the chemo. They send you down as low as they can bring you, I guess, and then hopefully you come back."

To get through the debilitating effects of the chemotherapy, Tirpak focused on the World Series.

The West O'ahu team set its sights on the big dream early. The kids, parents and volunteer coaches committed to three-hour practices and all the fundraising, organizing and mental toughness that comes with such a lofty goal.

"You need that right group of people. Everybody was involved," said Tirpak, who is first-base coach for the team. "It's not that easy to find parents who will bring their kids for three hours a day."

His son, 12-year-old Ty, focused on baseball, all the while worrying about his dad.

"He held it in good, but he had a hard time with it. He stayed positive. He's a very smart kid, and he read all the stuff about there's a 90-95 percent cure rate for this thing. But mentally, I'm sure it really gets to him."

During treatment, Tirpak couldn't go to any of the games, but he tried his best to keep up with the team's progress, to stay positive for the players and other coaches and for himself.

"When I was sick, I couldn't go out because I didn't have an immune system," he said. "But one of the dads recorded all the games for me, so at least I got to see what happened. That was really nice."

And all the while, his eyes were focused on a distant point — a sunny field, a roaring crowd, his son in that West O'ahu uniform.

"I wanted to make it through chemo to spend this time with them, to be with my son," he said. "That was the goal set out for me: Let's get it done and get better by the time the tournament starts."

Three weeks after he finished chemotherapy, Tirpak was on a plane to the playoffs.

The team made it. He made it.

He's feeling good, he said. His hair is growing back, and eating stadium food for the past three weeks has helped him put back 17 of the 20 pounds he lost during treatment. He's not thinking about the cancer right now. His head is only in the game.

"I got a CAT scan just before I left," he said. "But I left before the docs read it for me, so when I go back, I gotta go see what's up. But I'm pretty positive."

And much in the way Tirpak faced cancer, the West O'ahu team is moving step by step toward its ultimate goal.

"We don't like to predict anything," Tirpak said. "We take it one game at a time."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.