Here’s a tearjerker for the high school football crowd, courtesy of Steve Little in the Charlotte Observer.
Jack Mowry is the best player Ardrey Kell (North Carolina) in Charlotte. This season, he’s doing something special with every photo he takes — raising money for David Koontz, who was his best friend and teammate before he died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma last summer.
Kunz was first diagnosed in January 2020 when doctors in Florida found a lump on his neck. He went through several rounds of radiation and chemotherapy and seemed to have beaten it – ringing the bell in May of that year. Unfortunately, Kunz suffered a relapse that puzzled his doctors. He died on August 6, 2021.
Mowrey couldn’t be with Kunz at the end and played last season with his name on his wrist. This year, Mowrey is going for another one after getting an idea to raise money for cancer research, according to the Observer.
He read about Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, founded in 2005 by the parents of cancer victim Alexandra (“Alex”) Scott. The foundation serves as a clearinghouse for various efforts to raise money for cancer research. Mowrey has an idea — get pledges for every long snap he takes this season. The result was Snap It With Jack For David Kunz. People can bet money on every snap Mowrey took this season or bet a flat fee. Mowry hoped to raise $1,500.
Mowrey says he collected $348 in his first game.
(According to the Charlotte Observer, people who want to pledge to Snap It With Jack for David Koontz can do it here.)