Sixth-grader Grant Pearson didn’t expect to take the field, much less score a touchdown.
The honorary football team captain for the Waynesville Middle School Spartans wears a jersey and goes to all the home and away games. It was no different for the game on Saturday against Bellbrook Middle School. That is, until Grant was sent onto the gridiron after the first quarter. He received the ball around the 50-yard-line and took it all the way to the end zone.
“Did you see how fast he was? He took off,” coach Tim Sizer said. “I think he outran all his blockers. It was beautiful. We’re so happy that he did it.”
It’s no secret that Grant, who has Down syndrome, is “a fanatic about sports,” as his father, Jim Pearson said. “And to see him out here with his friends and running down the field … it’s just heartwarming."
Wayne Local Schools earlier in the week reached out to Bellbrook about giving Grant a field experience, to which it readily agreed, Sizer said.
“It was about more than just a football game,” the coach said.
The Saturday football game also happens to fall in the middle of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
“He was having the time of his life,” said his mother, Janet Pearson. “It was just a thrill for him to do that. That was really cool.”
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