At a spring football practice for Texas Tech, Red Raiders fans filled the seats at The Star while players competed on the field for new opportunities next season.
“Hello,” said 12-year-old Zachary into the camera while watching the game from the sidelines (wearing full-body Tech football gear).
He’s by far the youngest player on the team today.
“At this age, it feels even better... to be on a tackle football field, with actual college players, it’s just amazing,” Zachary said.
Zachary used to play flag football, but on Saturday, he was with the big guys. During the game, he was informed that he too is going out on the field to compete, but he only gets one shot.
“I didn’t want to like mess up, because I knew I only had one play, so I just had to believe that I could do it and give myself confidence,” Zachary said.
When it came time for his play, Zachary stood at running back, then took a handoff from the quarterback to run it in for a touchdown.
He took a knee before being hoisted into the air by the Red Raiders team.
“I felt honored to be with the team there, playing by their side and, again, I was just overwhelmed,” Zachary said.
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Among those watching and cheering for him was his mom, Elizabeth.
“He wants to be a football player more than anything,” Elizabeth said. “He says he’s going to grow up and be an NFL player, so to get to score his first touchdown at, you know, age 12 was awesome. And I know he is not going to stop talking about it for the next year.
Zachary’s mom said he has a rare blood sugar disorder called Hyperinsulinism. His mom said that although Zachary has faced struggles because of his condition, he’s learned to be grateful for his situation—especially because of opportunities like playing for Texas Tech. The event was made possible by The Make-A-Wish Foundation of North Texas.
Zachary was one of two Wish Kids invited to play with Tech at their spring practice. Dylan also played and said, "All the players, you know, they reacted great. They cheered me on and made sure to celebrate in the end zone with me, and that's something I'm never going to forget."
