The boys left the post game pep talk still dressed in their array of pink and blue jerseys, Saturday night.
Though the scoreboard read 27-10, everyone left as a winner during the second annual Football for a Cure event by the Clarkston Wolves Football Program.
“It’s amazing,” said Noreen Dyczkowski, of Lake Orion. “It’s so good to see young people fighting for a cure because it affects everyone of all ages.”
The boys divided into two teams, pink and blue, and proudly announced who they were playing for at the beginning of the game.
A handful of players represented their loved ones on the field ? Brett Eberle wore #76 for his Grandma Dean and Nick McInally wore #98 for his Grandpa McInally, while other played for entire families or varsity coaches’ family members.
The game began with the pink team in possession of the ball and starting on the 22-yard line after C.J. Gozdor caught the kick off.
The pink team’s edged closed to the other side of the field but their chances dwindled down. Brian Benway kicked a 29-yard field goal on the fourth down to put pink on the board.
The tides turned at the end of the first quarter when the blue team’s Mike Henige scored a touchdown. Alex Barta kick for PAT was good, leaving the pink team behind.
The next quarter brought two touchdowns, one from Max Collins and another from Matt Dellinger.
The blue team kept the lead until the end – scoring two touchdowns in the last quarter.
Fans in the stands wore their own pink and blue in support for the event wearing T-shirts and bracelets.
Wearing the pink and blue also helped as all proceeds from the event went to Great Lakes Cancer Institute and McLaren Breast Center in Clarkston.
“Cancer isn’t a game, but it is a battle,” said Dyczkowski, sharing her story of fighting metastic breast cancer.
When she had her biopsy, it showed she had cancer in her bone, and the cancer had traveled from the breast.
“It’s like football,” she continued. “It takes a good team and my doctor assembled an offense and defense.”
She had coaches helping her along the way and cheerleaders on the sidelines in her husband, Jerrome, children, grandchildren and everyone she passed at the clinic.
“The team carried me from fourth down to first down. We even had a field goal,” she said.
Now she is going for the big play of the game, the touchdowns of all touchdowns and is trying a new chemotherapy.
“They are looking for it to take me to the next level which would be remission,” Dyczkowski said. She was happy about what the doctors expect from her and all the fans supporting the Wolves for their event.
“I can’t believe all the wonderful support they were able to drive,” she added.