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Just so you know:
If you've been keeping up with Glee lately, you know that Artie not only made William McKinley's football team, but also made a scoring play despite being wheelchair-bound. Some Gleeks protested the storyline as completely unbelievable, but one real-life Arkansas high school student is proving those naysayers wrong.
Last week, Manila High School senior Dylan Galloway scored a touchdown for his team, the Lions, in a game against the Rivercrest Colts. Dylan was born with cerebral palsy and is confined to an electric wheelchair.
With less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Colts leading 47-0, both teams showed true sportsmanship by handing the ball to Dylan and rallying around him as he put six points up on the board for the Lions. Rivercrest still beat the Colts 47-7, but everyone was a winner that night.
"I told him to get his butt in there and go score a touchdown, and he wheeled out into the middle of the field..." Coach Toby Doke said. "It was a very special moment. I saw Rivercrest kids jumping up and down, and when Dylan went into the end zone, our entire sideline cleared and all of his teammates went to celebrate with him. I had to fight back the tears, and in fact it kind of tears me up thinking about it now."
So should disabled students be allowed to join high school football teams? If all the factors are taken under consideration, we don't see why not. Our friends at Do Something made a good point, though -- having Artie on the field in his wheelchair could put him and others at serious risk for injury, and probably isn't the smartest idea.
But in Dylan's case, the play was mapped out accordingly and the other team was well informed. In the end, the tenacious teen wasn't exactly making blocks, but he rushed the ball just like a pro.
