Credit: Sasha Libenzon

The Kicks for Cancer game has been moved back to Concord-Carlisle High School. “For me, its been super important because I get to play with my grandma’s name on my back,” senior Alex Crawford said. “All the other boys get to play with someone who is related to them, who has experience cancer.”

The annual Kicks for Cancer (KFC) game has been moved back to Sept. 28, 6:45 p.m. at Concord-Carlisle High School (CCHS). Wayland will play Westford Academy (WA). The game was originally supposed to take place at CCHS, but was moved to WA, due to a high risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEE).

The change back to CCHS, which is where the game and KFC tournament have traditionally taken place the past several years, was decided on this morning.

“This morning, I received a text message from our athletic director, Mr. Rollins, saying that it’s probable that the game’s going to get moved back to a night game at Concord,” boys varsity soccer head coach David Gavron said. “ [Later this morning] I got an email from Arbiter, which is the program that sends out messages about times of games and who is officiating those games, and Arbiter said that the game has been moved to 6:45 p.m. at Concord-Carlisle against Westford Academy.”

According to Assistant Athletic Director Erin Ryan, the game was moved out of Concord because the town was named as an area with a high risk of EEE. Now, Concord is no longer at high risk.

“Based on my understanding, it sounds like Concord has come out of that high risk category and are now not required to have their games before dusk, which is why we are now able to play at 6:45 p.m.” Ryan said.

Over the summer, EEE cases rose in Massachusetts. This august marked the first cases of EEE since 2020. People under the age of 15 are at a particular risk of EEE. Because of this, some outdoor events have been rescheduled, canceled or modified with safety precautions.

“Ultimately, what’s happening with EEE is when communities are in the high risk category, the recommendations from their department of public health are to limit or not hold activities outdoors between dusk and dawn, and that is why the game was changed in the first place,” Ryan said.

Several years ago, KFC was originally one game held in Concord to honor and fundraise for those who have battled cancer. Since then, it has grown to multiple sports games and activities that fundraise for cancer research.

“[Wayland] had the opportunity to play in one of the early iterations of Kicks for Cancer where it was just one game against Concord-Carlisle, and its grown so big now,” Gavron said. “There’s soccer games, there’s field hockey games [and] a road race. A lot of fundraising is done to help raise money for cancer.”

For players and coaches, the game can be about more than soccer. Participants in KFC may remember their own personal or familial connections to cancer.

“[The game is] so special to us because the boys get a chance to remember someone that may have passed away to cancer, or someone that fought and won their battle with cancer,” Gavron said. “They get to wear those names on the back of their shirts during the game.”

Some members of the team were happy to hear that the game was moved back to its original location. For them, KFC at CCHS holds memories and excitement difficult to reciprocate elsewhere.

“It was super, super exciting [to hear the game is back at CCHS],” senior Alex Crawford said. “I’m glad it’s back. A lot more people can come at night and it’s just a way better environment when all the towns gather at CC. Once we heard it’s back at 6:45 at Concord-Carlisle, everyone [was] way more excited for the game.”

Because KFC is a soccer tournament, students who attend to spectate the games have the chance to meet others and, according to Ryan, develop a sense of camaraderie associated with the larger cause being played for.

“One cool thing about Kicks for Cancer is [that] there are a lot of students from different schools,” Ryan said. “While [the students] are all cheering for their respective schools, they’re all supporting a much bigger cause overall, which makes for a much different student atmosphere.”

According to Gavron, this different energy that student fans contribute to the game’s atmosphere also motivates the players. This makes the KFC game at CCHS unlike any other game during the year.

“Our fans are so alive and so near to us,” Gavron said. “It’s incredible to see how the boys feed off the energy of our fans, and the set up at Concord-Carlisle, where they are right on the side of the hill right next to us, is just an awesome experience for us.”

Over his years coaching soccer at Wayland, Gavron has realized that the KFC game has been an opportunity for the community to come together.

“To me, [KFC is] really about community because it brings everyone together, whether you’re a soccer fan or not,” Gavron said. “Most of us know someone that has battled cancer or lost that battle with cancer. So, I just love how it brings the community together.”