SLINGER, Wis. — Friday night lights just hit different during the Coaches vs Cancer game in Slinger. You can tell there's still a rivalry between Hartford and Slinger, but there's also a sense of community as they try to raise money for something that hits close to home for a lot of folks.
Football fans have different opinions about who's going to win. Ask Slinger fans?
"Is the grass green? That's all I have to say to that question."
Ask Hartford Union High School fans?
"Hartford, obviously!"
But both sides agree that when it comes to fighting cancer, they're on the same team.
Watch: Slinger and Hartford football fans put aside rivalry for 15th annual Coaches vs Cancer game
"When we all come together to do a fundraiser for a super huge organization like breast cancer. It all just brings us together so we can create a sense of unity so we can all just help out both towns and the people surrounding it," said Gavin Sawyer and Payton Broswavic, seniors at Slinger High School.
For 15 years, the close-knit communities have harnessed the power of their rivalry to sell T-shirts, raffle prizes and focus on the fight off the field.
"It just brings a lot of awareness to it and makes people feel the power to fight it and donate money," said Austin Lear and Aidan Kolb, seniors at Hartford Union High School.
Organizers do it for their loved ones lost to the illness.
"It's an honor to be part of the event together. As two communities coming together," said Deb Martola, coordinator of Coaches vs Cancer.
"It feels like it's two teams fighting one battle," Martola said.
Slinger head coach Bill Jacklin lost his wife to cancer and says the support from both communities got him through.
"It means a lot to me, and we are a close-knit community, and when people are suffering, people step up, and I think that's why I love being here," said Bill Jacklin, head coach of Slinger Football.
Last year, they raised $20,000 for the American Cancer Research Society in Wisconsin. This year, they're hoping to beat that record.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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