A high school football water boy in California with special needs was recently able to fulfill his dreams and score a touchdown.
His mother, Liz Bowers, could barely contain her excitement as she watched her son Jake on the football field.
“It was one of those moments that are kind of one in a million,” Bowers said. “I feel like those really big moments in life are few and far between and I suspected this was going to be one of them.”
Jake was able to score a touchdown on the team’s senior night with the team rallying around him.
“It felt great to see a team rally around their team manager, a school rally around their student,” Bowers said. “The community rally around our school in general and support this project, it just warms my heart.”
Jake lives with a developmental disability that hinders his learning but has not stopped his enthusiasm.
When asked how it felt to score a touchdown he said, “It felt great.”
Jake joined the team as the manager as a freshman and head coach Tristan McCoy wanted to make sure he didn’t get overlooked on senior night.
“We talked about Jake a lot that week and how he represents all the values that we stand for as a team,” McCoy said. “He represents it more than any kid in our program right now, just his attitude, his commitment to the team and loyalty, and you know, life is hard for Jake, but he finds a way to put his shoes on and smile every day and attack life with a great attitude.”
McCoy reached out to the opposing team to arrange the play that ran right before the opening kick-off.
One of the football players said, “He’s always out here smiling, giving us water, trying to cheer us on, however he can and for us to be able to give back to him and help him score, it was a great moment for all of us.”
Jake’s touchdown did not count on the scoreboard but McCoy says it helped inspire the team who went on to win the game.
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