NEEDHAM — Mike Slonina still remembers selling $10 T-shirts out of his car, trying to change the world.
Sunday afternoon saw yet another milestone of significant growth in his efforts toward fundraising for brain cancer research and funding a cure.
A Shot For Life Football played its third annual ASFL Bowl at St. Sebastian’s, with the state’s best skill position players coming together to raise $70,000 before showing their skills in a four-team, 7-on-7 flag football tournament.
Tabor Academy quarterback Peter Bourque connected with Catholic Memorial running back Mekhi Dodd with about 20 seconds left of the championship game, delivering Team 3 a 42-35 win over Team 1 after a four-hour day of round robin play and playoffs.
A Shot For Life now has eight sports that contribute toward Slonina’s visions of raising millions and further growing those efforts as fast as possible. Players and volunteers showed the founder and CEO exactly what makes ASFL Football so special as part of the team.
“The football department has really become kind of a fraternity of players who have done it,” Slonina said. “What’s most notable is the buy-in from the athletes. … It’s very much, ‘I’m a part of something,’ as opposed to ‘I am an individual who got picked for this thing.’ I think that’s been a really cool growth point for ASFL Football.”
“ASFL Football now exists in Connecticut as well. And that’s because of all the people in Massachusetts that have helped build it into something people want to be a part of,” he said.
Smiles and celebrations were contagious all day for the group of football stars. And premier talent was on full display.
Catholic Memorial quarterback Kise Flannery scored three touchdowns for Team 1 in the championship game, often lining up as a receiver like many of the other quarterbacks did throughout. Teammate Gavin Brown caught a few touchdowns to help Team 1 get there, playfully jawing with Dodd as he stood out on Team 3 along the way. North Reading’s Gavin Brady and Xaverian’s Christian McIntyre made big plays on both sides of the ball, too, to give Team 3 the edge.
Each touchdown drew a mob celebration in the end zone. Turnovers saw the same, with an ASFL coach chasing down the interceptor with a turnover chain to put around their neck in a fun environment.
“It was awesome,” Bourque said in his second year participating. “It’s a great group of guys here. Competing with some of my friends and kids that I’ve never met before. … (It’s) the best around, coming together and all supporting a great cause with one goal. It’s great.”
The $70,000 players raised – led by St. John’s of Shrewsbury kicker Deignan Guiney’s $3,000-plus – is yet another chapter to a consistent string of reaching that mark across all sports. ASFL Field Hockey, it its inaugural all-star game last month, also reached the threshold.
It’s become an exciting norm.
“It’s the players taking it seriously and taking the impact they can have seriously, and we’re really proud of them for that,” Slonina said. “Our goal is to cure cancer and our goal is to grow as fast as possible. … To be raising what we’re raising, that’s a really exciting thing.”
“You put ($70,000) into perspective, that’s a tremendous amount,” added Bishop Feehan kicker Aidan Neary. “It really does take everyone coming together and just chipping in. … It’s really great to see.”
This is the first ASFL event Neary was asked to join, and the first person he told the news to is who he does it for.
His mother, Amy, is in the middle of a second fight with cancer, which has been difficult for Neary and his sisters to navigate. Being a part of helping find a cure, and seeing the efforts of other student-athletes with the same mission, strongly resonates with him.
“I feel very connected to (ASFL’s initiative),” Neary said. “I’ve seen what (chemotherapy) does to her. I’ve seen how it’s a toll on me and my sisters. These people playing out here, supporting people like her going through similar things, is really inspiring.
“I was really excited when I got the message on Instagram. I immediately said yes. I was in my room, I went right downstairs, ‘Hey mom, A Shot For Life wants me to be a part of it.’ … Just to know that – I’m helping my mom every day in my life, but I’m also helping someone dealing with something like my mom – just is great.”
Originally Published:
ASFL Football: $70,000 raised for great cause, Team 3 captures title
