SARASOTA (FOX 13) - When Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School takes on Southeast, there's one player on the team who's time on the field will mean a little more than points on the scoreboard: Anthony Einhorn, the team's kicker. This season, his kicks are raising money for kids trying to kick cancer.
"It's pretty stressful, but I try to be calm," he said. "I just take my steps back, I look at my holder and he just gives me a nod. I take one deep breath and I just kick it through."
His kicks can make or break a game.
"It feels great to kick it through and get some points on the board," said Einhor.
This season, those kicks have a special meaning. Each field goal or extra point he scores helps raise money for kids fighting cancer.
"It's terrible. It's hard to stay positive during that time. Just to know that someone is out there trying to help them pay for research and stuff like that it's inspirational," said Einhor.
He's raising money for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Kick-it, a nationwide campaign for high school football team kickers across the country to raise money through pledges for every field goal or extra point.
It's an organization he learned about while at football camp. He brought the idea back to his coach Paul Maechtle.
Money raised through pledges for every kick helps fund pediatric cancer research.
"I thought it was a tremendous idea for a young person to have the initiative to decide to get involved with this program," said Coach Maechtle.
Coach Maechtle said win or lose, a game is a game, but doing what helps others is a double win.
"You always try to teach them more than Xs and Os and more than the scoreboard when you're involved in a football program or as a coach or as a teacher. One of the things I like to teach them is life lessons. If you can find a way to serve all the time and come back and serve when you left the community...that's a start in the right direction for a young student," said Coach Maechtle.
With 33 kicks, he's halfway to his goal of 50. Einhor has already raised $1,400 and doesn't plan on stopping.
"Just need to make all those extra points and make all those field goals," he said.
LINK: For more information on how you can donate, visit https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1497046