ST. JOSEPH, Mo.
With his team trailing 46-0, Matt Ziesel scored a touchdown. A single play, one of thousands across high-school fields this fall and meaningless to the final score, brought tears of joy to fans in a Missouri stadium and went viral on the Internet.
No one who entered Mary-ville's stadium that night expected a moment like this.
Not Ziesel, the freshman football player with Down Syndrome who wanted only to feel the camaraderie of winning and losing with his team. Not his parents, who never expected him to play, nor the teammates who treated him no different from the rest. Certainly not the opposing coach and players who graciously went along with an idea to give Matt a moment of glory.
Together, unsuspectingly, they collaborated in a powerful moment, proving that civility has a place amid the chest-thumping big-money athletes and the win-at-all-costs mentality permeating sports.
"It shows that there's still compassion out there, that there's good people out there," said Don McCamy, the Benton High freshman coach who gave Matt his chance. "It's something that shows life is still worth living and things are still good."
He's always been a competitor. He barely survived a premature birth and nearly died from pneumonia as a toddler. He had a coach for a father and an older sister -- among his four siblings -- who wouldn't let him win just because he's disabled, fueling an innate competitive spirit.
Naturally, sports held sway at an early age. Matt mocked his father's animated coaching style on the basketball court, tracking Royals baseball and Missouri football, and yelling "Come on, Chiefs!" at the TV when his favorite team was down. He didn't always understand what was going on, but he wanted a piece of it.
Special Olympics were fine. He enjoyed the competition, the friendships. It just wasn't enough. He wanted more. He wanted to be part of a football team. Not a good idea, his doctor said. It was too risky for someone at his stage of physical development.
Matt wasn't listening. Determined to wear the Benton High red and white, he was willing to sacrifice like all the other players to get it. Offseason workouts, weight-lifting sessions, two-a-days? He didn't miss one.
How does a parent say no to determination like that?
"You have to realize that while kids with special needs might be a little different than you and I, they all have the same goals, they want to be successful in life, they want to contribute to their teammates and classmates, be a part of something as much as anybody else," said Matt's father, Mike Ziesel, also the athletics director at Benson High.
"It's just a little bit more of a challenge for them, but you still can't deny them the opportunity to reach those goals."
There are Matty rules. Because he can't take a hit yet, he participates only in some drills. If it's tackling, the kids make sure he always delivers a great hit. Running, he always makes a geat move, usually a spin.
During full team drills, the Cardinals run the Matty play: a handoff and a touchdown. Every time. And everyone is on board.
He got his chance to play on Sept. 14 vs. Maryville. Late in a lopsided loss, McCamy called time. Maryville assistant coach David McEnaney told his players to look for a trick play. To his surprise, McCamy walked across the field. He told the startled players and coach the situation and asked if they could let Matt score a touchdown but appear to be trying. They happily agreed.
With his father half paying attention -- it was pointed out -- Matt came in. He took a hand-off around right end, ran down the sideline as the defense peeled off one by one with McCamy running nearby yelling, "Matt, they're going to get you! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
With a little gallop at the end, Matt scored and raised the ball to his face. A touchdown, the kind movies are made of.
"It was cool," Matt said.
Players on the field applauded. The players on the sideline joined in, and so did the fans.
Then virtue went viral.
Because Matt's mother, Patty, wasn't at the game, McCamy posted the play on YouTube.
"Maybe it's not all about a shutout or about the victory," McCamy said.
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