Football team helps raise hundreds of dollars for classmate

A local Grid Kid football team is letting their classmate know that he is not battling cancer alone.

The Thunder Ridge Football Grid Kid Blue team dedicated Saturday morning’s final game of the season to Han Wheeler.

Wheeler was diagnosed with brain cancer back in August. Doctors have taken out the tumor, but they worry it might grow back.

“He’s had multiple surgeries, he’s just been fighting through it,” said Ken Huseboe, coach of the fourth-grade Thunder Ridge Football Grid Kid Blue.

This weekend’s game was originally planned to be a breast cancer awareness game, but the boys on the team had a different idea.

“Our boys approached us and said, ‘Hey could we do something for Han instead?'” said Kaylani Mavity, a mom on the team.

Many of the boys on the team are classmates and good friends with Wheeler.

“The focus really shifted in those boys,” Huseboe said. “It hit home for them because that’s their friend.”

Players were sporting yellow socks, shirts and armbands. Yellow is the color for childhood cancer.

Saturday’s game had a tent where families of the team were raising money by collecting donations, raffling off donated items and selling food and “Team Han” t-shirts.

“Every bit of it is going to Han’s family,” said Mavity.

When the game ended, true sportsmanship came out.

Coaches from the opposing team, Idaho Falls Black team, handed Huseboe a cash donation and a card for the Wheeler family.

“It was really touching to see them step up as the opposing team against these guys and show their support,” said Huseboe.

Saturday’s game raised over $1,200 in cash donations for the Wheeler family. Friends with the family said that even more donated online at hanwheeler.com.

Huseboe said he has plans to take the team up to Salt Lake City and visit Wheeler at Primary Children’s Hospital.