Boy with Cerebral Palsy Scores Touchdown
After spending more than two years as the biggest fan of his town’s undefeated high school football team, a Chicago-area boy who was born with cerebral palsy recently got to live out a dream of his and score a touchdown with the team.
Thirteen-year-old Jack McCraw has watched every practice and game of the St. Charles Hurricanes since he was 11. Sean Masoncup, a coach for the team, took notice, and decided to talk to his parents about setting up a surprised that everyone, except Jack, would be in on.
In the closing minute of a recent game in which the Hurricanes were leading their 29-0, the opposing team took a knee on fourth down to voluntarily turnover the ball. Jack was called on the field for the next play, handed the ball, and allowed to score the final touchdown of the game.
“We actually ran what's called a 27 sweep on the outside - it's about 9 yards for a touchdown and the crowd just went nuts and I went nuts," said Masoncup, according to MyFoxChicago.
Following the touchdown, Jack – who is confined to a wheelchair because of his birth injury - was roundly cheered by both teams and the crowd.
"It was really emotional - cuz you know, he can't walk for the rest of his life and it was just a dream for him to get the ball and score in an actual game," said Zack Mettetal, the team’s quarterback.
The McCraw’s were thrilled with the play as well, and Jack later expressed his excitement on his blog.
“I was so excited. The other team let us have the ball because there wasn't much time left. I went out there with the guys, my friend Zach handed the ball off to me and I went for it. The other team didn't even try to stop me so it was actually easy to score,” he wrote. “The whole team went onto the field and the cheerleaders too. They were all cheering and the parents were cheering. Even the other team cheered for me. I felt so good.”
"Maybe the Bears will hire me!" he added.
If you or a loved one has suffered a birth injury like cerebral palsy, there may be legal options available. Call Sokolove Law today for a free legal consultation regarding a birth injury lawsuit.
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