In football, we always hear about two teams going to “battle” on the gridiron. It is a contact sport after all. Even in our diocese, the famous “Battle of the Boulevard” game pits Francis Lewis Boulevard rivals St. Francis Prep (Fresh Meadows) and Holy Cross H.S. (Flushing) against one another in an epic battle of wills.
Yet as we step back, there are sometimes way more important battles to fight. For the Prep, a varsity football student-athlete just fought the ultimate battle, and the best part is, he won.
Joshua Beaubrun, 17, is a senior offensive/defensive lineman for the Terriers varsity squad. The 6-foot, 1-inch, 315-pounder was a team captain this past season thanks to his strong on-field performance as well as his leadership skills.
Beaubrun grew up in St. Albans and now lives in Jamaica. He spent a few years of grammar school at Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, and he started playing youth football with the Bayside Raiders when he was 4 years old. As he continued to play and improve, football became his passion.
After spending his freshman year at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station, Long Island, Beaubrun played three years for the Terriers — one year on junior varsity and two on varsity. He was named a Tablet All-Star in 2024 and 2025. During his sophomore season, he began experiencing recurring pain in his right shin, which he thought might be a shin splint.
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The pain would come and go, until it then spread to his knee. Beacause Beaubrun is also on the Prep’s track and field team, he continued experiencing the sporadic pain throughout the winter and spring. By the start of his junior football season, he started experiencing more intense pain in his groin area. After several CT scans and PET scans, doctors could still not figure out the cause of this pain. When a mass appeared on his leg, he went straight to the emergency room, where the team performed a biopsy.
Though he stayed positive, Beaubrun had a suspicion that the mass could be a cancerous tumor. His next appointment was at the pediatric oncology unit at Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, a rare and aggressive type of soft tissue sarcoma that originates in the protective lining of nerves.
While he was shocked initially, he knew he had to accept this challenge head-on. He told his teammates that he did not want their sympathy. Instead, he wanted them to increase their commitment to work hard for the good of the team. He relied on his extensive support network to get him through some tough times.
“When I was there throughout the whole thing, my family, my teammates, and my coaches showed up for me,” Beaubrun said. “Even now, as I walk in the hallways, people are telling me how proud they are of me.”
Just before his senior football season, he started chemotherapy and radiation. He scheduled his radiation before school so that he could still go to practice in the afternoons. He also scheduled the sessions early in the week so that he would be there for the team during games.
At first, doctors said playing football would not be possible, but as blood tests came back strong, Beaubrun was allowed to ease into playing. His baseline level of fitness was instrumental in getting him back on the field. Being able to play as he battled cancer helped him overcome this unexpected twist. His teachers, coaches, and teammates all understood what he was going through and were grateful for whatever he could give.
“Every single person, every single coach, every single player was always checking in on me and making sure I was OK,” Beaubrun said. “Anything I had trouble with, they helped me get through it.”
“My best player doesn’t always run the most yards or catch the most passes,” said St. Francis Prep head varsity football coach Rich Carroll. “Sometimes my best player makes the rest of the team better, and this is my most valuable player. We’ve all learned so much from Josh in watching him go through this journey.”
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In late October, he had surgery to remove the tumor at Cohen’s. As if battling cancer weren’t enough, a surgical complication led to him being diagnosed with compartment syndrome in his back — a painful condition caused by increased pressure within a muscle compartment that restricts the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients. This resulted in seven surgeries within 15 days.
Right before Christmas, Beaubrun was discharged, with his teammates and coaches cheering him on. He’s now back at school full time and is considered in recovery from cancer. He is eager to write the next chapter of his journey, which he hopes includes playing football collegiately.
Beaubrun won the Catholic High School Football League’s Lt. Ronald Winchester Memorial Unsung Hero Award. Lt. Winchester was a Chaminade H.S., Mineola, Long Island, graduate who was killed in 2004 serving his country in Iraq. There couldn’t have been a more fitting award for Beaubrun, given the dignity and grace with which he handled his situation.
“Through all his treatments, Josh didn’t bring that out to the field,” Carroll said. “He came out and shared his positive attitude and leadership.”
Years from now, Beaubrun’s teammates may not remember his on-field football prowess, but surely they’ll continue to find inspiration in their captain’s valiant battle against cancer.
This battle is now behind him, and he’ll take the lessons he learned with him as he prepares for any of life’s battles that await.