PHOTOS: Granby Plays in Barmak/Bryson Memorial Soccer Tournament

Nearly a thousand young soccer players descended on Enfield this past weekend for the 24th annual tournament in memory of the late Kevin Barmak.

In Nov. 1988, Kevin Bruce Barmak was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Doctors initially believed it was inoperable and told Kevin’s parents that he had three days to a week to live. Kevin was immediately transferred from Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. to Boston Children’s Hospital for a second opinion.

A week later, doctors removed a part of the tumor. On Feb. 23, 1990, after several intensive treatments including chemotherapy, Kevin lost his brave fight against cancer.

This year, for the first time, the tournament bore the name of not only Kevin Barmak, but also his friend Scott Bryson. Scott was the coordinator of the tournament for two years, and was very active in coaching multiple youth sports before his sudden passing in Apr. 2015 at age 39.

Age groups for boys and girls ranged from U-9 to U-14, and games were played all day Saturday and Sunday at the Shaker Road Soccer Complex and at Fermi High School.

Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Kevin Barmak Memorial Scholarship.

Photo credit: Tim Jensen