WA varsity football won 35-21 against Concord-Carlisle on Friday, Sept. 24, on WA’s Trustees Field. This marks their second win of the 2021 season, with their record now at 2-1. WA thrived on all parts of the field, with a strong defense, and an equally as effective offensive. This home game was also special because it was dedicated to cancer awareness.

Concord-Carlisle runs a cancer awareness event annually with their soccer teams called Kicks for Cancer. WA athletic director Jeff Bunyon coordinated with Concord-Carlisle’s athletic director Aaron Joncas to expand the event from soccer to football games. Volunteers sold shirts for ten dollars at the entrance of the game to support the cause.

“I thought it was a nice way to get the football community involved in this event, and that it would be a way to involve more student-athletes in the cause,” Bunyon said. 

As for the actual game, WA had a powerful start, after scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, both due to Concord-Carlisle’s fumbles, putting the score at 14-0 within the first ten minutes.

WA’s defense successfully played through the first half, only allowing Concord-Carlisle to score one touchdown. The offense also played well, securing another touchdown for themselves with quarterback Jake Cullen throwing to captain Kyle Doney, making the score 21-7 at the end of the second quarter.

In the third quarter, WA’s defense continued to thrive and they didn’t let Concord-Carlisle score a single touchdown. WA’s offense also triumphed this quarter, with Cullen passing the ball to Junior Anthony Rudiman, who scored another touchdown, giving WA their lead of 28-7. 

Going into the game, the team’s head coach, Bruce Rich, was looking forward to seeing the effort the team was going to give.

“I feel good about tonight. I think the team is prepared. We have had some really good games against Concord-Carlisle the last couple of years, so our guys are looking forward to it. We are excited to be back in the haunted house,” Rich said prior to the game.

Rich’s hopes were met as even though Concord-Carlisle score two touchdowns in the last quarter, WA’s offense also scored one with Cullen throwing to Doney and putting the score at 35-21 at the end of the game.

“Overall we played really well throughout the week. We watched enough film to know what [Concord-Carlisle] was going to do, and we matched up really well against their formations,” Senior Joey Bella said.

WA will look to win their next game on Friday, Oct.1, against Waltham.