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WISCONSIN — There were 1.2 seconds left in the game when Little Chute High School senior Noah VanVooren made a touchdown in the first game of his football career.
VanVooren, 18, has Down syndrome and served his team as waterboy for years, but Oct. 18 was the first time he had ever put on pads and entered the field, according to the Post Crescent.
The team made VanVooren honorary captain for their last home game of the season. They were winning the game when they passed off the ball to VanVooren, who ran 36 yards to the end zone.
“It was great seeing him out there,” Mustangs senior linebacker Max Keyzers told Post Crescent. “He’s always been the motivator for our team. He talks after every game. It was great to hear the crowd chanting and it was great to get him the ball.”
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It was the last game of the season for the eighth-grade basketball team at Van Hoosen Junior High School. With only a few minutes left in the game, the coach called in Owen Groesser.The idea to let VanVooren score a touchdown came with support from opposing team Clintonville, according to Post Crescent. Many were touched by the sportsmanship.
“He was born 18 years ago and the doctors told us he would never be able to walk talk or do anything," his dad Todd told the local Fox News station. "And then to see him 18 years later, it’s amazing. It’s amazing. And to have a community like Little Chute to back him up and to love him the way they do, you can’t put it in words."
VanVooren finished his memorable game by leading the team in singing the school's fight song. The Little Chute Mustangs beat Clintonville High School 62-0.
