Dreams energize your endeavors but memories hug your soul.
I love people stories that reveal the love that dwells in the hearts of man kind. This is a story about two teams and one special young man. Friday night lights reached a whole new level on September 24, 2010 when Ike Ditzenberger scored his team's only touch down and danced in the end zone as time expired in the game.
Nice you say but that happens all across the nation every Friday night in the Fall. Not quite this way. Ike is an unusual young man. He grew up watching his older brothers play football and oh how he idolized them. Imitating them daily and dreaming of becoming just like them and being the star on a college football team.
Today Ike is a 17 year old junior at Snohomish High School in Seattle who has Down Syndrome. His 5-foot-6, 160-pound frame isn’t that of an athlete, and he doesn’t have the motor skills to compete in a game where he could easily get hurt. But Ike has a dream. He is blessed with a supportive family and classmates. Football Coach Mark Perry invited Ike to come to practices and hang with the team. He even designed a touchdown run especially for Ike that ends every varsity practice called the Ike Special.
Playing an undefeated Lake Stevens High the Snohomish team was behind 35-0 as the end of the fourth quarter drew near. With 10 seconds left on the clock, Coach Perry heard the “We want Ike!” chant from the stands, and called the Ike Special. Wearing No. 57, Ike booked it for 51 yards, scoring a sweet six points in the final seconds of the game. His teammates swarmed around and joined him in a touchdown dance as both teams and fans went wild.
An emotional crowd witnessed the best of what football teaches: character, sportsmanship, team spirit, self-confidence and a memory sublime for everyone present.
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