Special Needs Player Has Unforgettable Moment Against CR Prairie

Last Friday night was the second round of the Iowa High School Football playoffs and without a doubt, something bigger than winning and losing happened near the end of the Cedar Rapids Prairie-Davenport North game on Cedar Rapids' south side.

Cedar Rapids Prairie was in control late in the game when a pair of memorable moments happened. Prairie had the ball when Davenport North coach Adam Hite sent Ryan Carter (#74), a senior with special needs, into the game. Carter told KCRG, "He said get out there Ryan, you're going in. I was pretty excited because I got to get in the game."

After Carter entered the game, he made not one, but two tackles. They were the first two of his career.

I was calling the game for television re-broadcast and, honestly, I wasn't sure what was happening at first. It wasn't until I noticed players on both teams clapping after Carter made a tackle that I fully comprehended what I had just seen. I said during the broadcast that I was just as proud of Prairie as I was of Davenport North for what I had witnessed. Cedar Rapids Prairie coach Mark Bliss said, "We were just blessed to be a part of it."

We all were blessed. It was just another example of how there's much more to sports than winning the game. Ryan Carter, Davenport North, and Cedar Rapids Prairie all reminded us of that. Congratulations, Ryan.

You can see the wonderful piece put together by KCRG HERE.