West Newbury, MA- 8/29/2025- Whittier Wildcats and Pentucket Regional football players tackle each other during a scrimmage at Pentucket Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025. Soon to be entering another football season, The Wildcats’ longtime head coach Kevin Bradley, faced one of his toughest battles yet. Bradley, 64, who has been with the Whittier Wildcats since 1998, learned he had tongue cancer in mid-July this year. Enduring a rigorous 5-days-a-week treatment, including eight hours of radiation and chemotherapy on Wednesdays, Bradley continues to make it to practice and mentor his team of young athletes. “Coach Bradley isn’t quitting, so we can’t either,” said senior captain Ricky DiChicco. “If he can show up for us after getting treatment in Boston, we have no excuse not to give 100 percent every time we step on that field. And it’s more than just football. These are lessons every player is going to carry for the rest of their life.” (Photo/Ben Pennington for The Boston Globe)