This is teamwork at its finest.
On Friday, as fans cheered his name -- the chant "Noah, Noah, Noah" echoing across the football field -- a beloved high school waterboy with Down syndrome scored a very special touchdown with a little help from his teammates.
In footage shot by The Post-Crescent of the football game between Wisconsin's Little Chute High School and Clintonville, watch as Noah VanVooren, a senior at Little Chute, is surrounded by members of his school's football team, protected and encouraged as he hurries with the ball toward the end zone.
According to Fox 11, this was the young man's first time playing in a game. It was also his first touchdown.
“He’s always our biggest fan,” senior and football player Tyler Zak told The Post-Crescent of VanVooren, a longtime waterboy for the team. “He’s always there with us.”
The touchdown ultimately didn't count in the score, Fox 11 reports. But that hardly diminished the teenager's victory.
Other than getting a chance to play on the field and experiencing the outpouring of love from his classmates and community, VanVooren was reportedly also made honorary captain of his team for the night.
"He was born 18 years ago and the doctors told us he would never be able to walk, talk or do anything," VanVooren's dad told Fox of his inspiring son. "And then to see him 18 years later, it’s amazing."
"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,” he added.
Little Chute ended up beating Clintonville 62-0. The team will soon be headed to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association football playoffs.
For more on this story, watch Fox 11's coverage of Noah VanVooren's touchdown in the video below:
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