Bald for Bean

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - It's Friday in Fort Wayne, and that means high school football. But outside of the game this was no ordinary Friday for the Homestead Football Family.

Friday night, Homestead was without head coach Chad Zolman. Chad's 8 year old daughter Molly or "Bean" as she's better known, has been battling epilepsy and seizures for three years.

On Thursday she underwent brain surgery in Cleveland to locate the problem.

Before that surgery Molly had to do something no eight year old girl wants to do. She had to shave her head. To help her along Daddy followed suit, so did the other coaches, and then the players.

"They have been nothing but supportive and the things that they do have just blown us away as a family," said Chad Zolman, Homestead Head Football Coach.

During Friday night's game the players and coaches showed off those bald heads. They also strapped on some pink around the wrists and ankles.

"It kind of brings you back in perspective that this is a game although we love it and we work hard at it it's a game and some things are a little more important than football sometimes," said Shawn Harkness, Homestead Assistant Coach.

Often times the word family is cliche in sports, but not with this group.

"We're all brothers on the team and Coach Z is like a father figure to us so we're going to support him in what he does," said Joey Dynako, Homestead football player. 

It's a typical Friday night at Homestead but there's a lot more than football weighing on the heart's and minds of these coaches and players.

"Hopefully it can help him through this rough time I know it's going to be really rough for him, we're just hoping to give him all the support we can," said Anthony Mullen, Homestead football player.

Of course the game must go on, and it did as Homestead got a big Homecoming win. But there's no doubt Molly will be etched on the minds of this bunch as she recovers.

"There's no doubt Molly and Chad and the whole Zolman family will be in our thoughts," said Harkness.

Molly isn't feeling very well after the surgery, but doctors say everything is going as planned.