A 14-year-old boy with autism lived out a dream Thursday when he scored a touchdown during his team’s homecoming game.

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James Kelly, who was diagnosed with autism when he was younger, practiced the “349 Kelly Special” play with coaches and teammates all week.

When it was game time James was ready. He got the ball and ran it in for a score, eliciting cheers from the crowd and his teammates.

"I was surprised. We didn't expect anything like this," his mother, Kristin Kelly, told KPRC. "We just wanted him to be part of the team in some way, because he loves football so much and he loves his classmates."

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Thousands of UGA students enjoy during the annual “Frat Beach” party for the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game on St. Simons Island, Friday, November 1, 2024. On the weekend of the Georgia-Florida football game, St. Simons Island’s East Beach becomes “Frat Beach,” an open-air party teeming with thousands of highly inebriated college students. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC