St. Francis quarterback has already scored season’s biggest win by beating cancer
17-year-old Aaron Knapp beat lymphoma and is ready for a big junior season
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – When Aaron Knapp closed his eyes last spring, his hospital bed transformed into a football stadium, and the chemotherapy drip in his arm had no effect on his throwing motion.
The St. Francis High School quarterback was not thinking about previous victories. Instead, he imagined himself leading his team onto the field.
Friday will be that day.
Knapp has battled lymphoma since the end of last season, completing nine weeks of chemotherapy to make it to Friday night’s home game in Mountain View against San Diego-area powerhouse Helix.
When the St. Francis offense takes the field, Knapp, 17, will be at the helm.
“It was definitely a journey, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I would be there,” said Knapp.
That journey began in November 2021, when Knapp was sitting in on a freshman-year art class and listening to a teacher. Knapp felt a small lump on his neck while absentmindedly rubbing it.
Knapp expressed concern, as did his parents, Brandon and Tracy. He underwent dozens of medical tests over the next year, but doctors were unable to make a diagnosis.
It wasn’t until the mass had grown noticeably larger that the family decided to have it removed, whatever it was.
“I was always monitoring it, and I never took it lightly,” Knapp explained. “I recommend that anyone who has something like that get it checked out.” You just never know.”
Lymphoma was discovered after surgery last December.
The Knapp family handled the news well, but those close to them were understandably taken aback.
“My heart genuinely stopped,” Jackson Cahoon said of the phone call from his childhood best friend and football teammate. “My entire body went cold.”
Knapp had made his name on the football field only a few weeks before. He had led a 31-12 victory over rival Bellarmine on Oct. 28 in place of injured senior Matthew Dougherty, completing 12 of 14 passes for 208 yards.
“Going into that week, it being homecoming and everything, I was amped up,” said Knapp, whose mother went to St. Francis and instilled in her son the significance of the rivalry.
Aaron’s next game was even better: three touchdowns in a 35-13 victory over Archbishop Mitty.
But, once the season was over, Knapp realized that honing his passing skills was the least of his concerns.
Beginning in January, he and his parents made weekly visits to City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, about 20 miles north of Los Angeles.
To get through the ordeal, the Knapps relied on their faith.
“You either believe in God and your faith or you don’t, and I think it gets people through a lot of things,” said Brandon Knapp, a former San Jose State football player.
When Aaron looked around the hospital on treatment days, it wasn’t self-pity that consumed him. He considered himself fortunate.
“Not everyone is going to make it,” he admitted. “Seeing people in such a late stage of life, and seeing people in such great pain, it makes you more sensitive.”
Knapp also relied on a familiar face from his past. St. Francis assistant football coach Matt Scharrenberg is a lymphoma survivor. In 2021, his cancer went into remission.
Scharrenberg forwarded Knapp the same contemporary Christian songs that had helped him get through chemotherapy. The coach, who also teaches history at the school, encouraged Knapp with texts and the occasional meme.
“A 16-year-old with that diagnosis is not the same as a 45-year-old guy who can make peace with his life,” Scharrenberg explained.
“Having him in my corner knowing he went through the same thing meant a lot,” Knapp said. “He understood it better than my parents could, because he’d been through it.”
Mountain View provided Knapp with yet another source of strength. Knapp was able to work out with his teammates despite receiving chemotherapy through an IV in his arm rather than his chest.
Brandon Knapp said his son was eager to get back to the Bay Area after one round of chemotherapy on a Friday so he could run for St. Francis’ track team the next day.
“We tried to tone him down a little bit,” said Greg Calcagno, longtime St. Francis football coach. “It’s as if they’re saying, ‘Hey, I don’t need you to be ready in April.'” We need you to be available in August. So take it easy and look after yourself.”
Knapp won his biggest fight after nine weeks of long drives south, chemotherapy, pain, practice, encouragement, and faith-based optimism.
He had no cancer.
He celebrated by eating a burger and a milkshake, which he wasn’t supposed to eat while fighting the disease.
“Some of the best food I’ve ever had in my life,” said Knapp.
After receiving a clean bill of health, the quarterback spent the remainder of the offseason working to regain peak physical condition.
Knapp’s perseverance and optimism throughout his ordeal earned him the title of junior team captain for the first time in Calcagno’s 11-year tenure as St. Francis’ coach.
The season will be difficult. Helix and De La Salle are on St. Francis’ non-league schedule. The West Catholic Athletic League tournament follows, followed by section and possibly regional playoffs.
But, despite everything, Knapp has already won the season’s most important race.
Now it’s time to play some games.
“I feel ready,” said Knapp.
