Matt Ziesel Touchdown Is this Week’s Feel Good Story [Video]
Total Pro Sports - Through all the blood baths, crushing hits, criminal acts, and verbal exchanges this week in sports, there had to be one story that would really make everyone feel good. We found that video and it comes from Benton High School in St. Josephs, Missouri.
We will leave it to the Ziesel family to describe the scene. They left the following note on the YouTube page:
Freshman Matt Ziesel scores a touchdown against Maryville. Below is a little write-up from the Ziesel family for those of you not familiar with Matt:
Matt is a special athlete who has Down Syndrome. He loves football and has grown up in an environment surrounded by sports. His father is a coach/ athletic director, and all his siblings play sports. He grew up at athletic events, and has always been a cheerleader. He registered as a freshman at Benton High School -Saint Joseph, MO this year, and told his mother and father he wanted to play football. The team takes good care of looking after Matt, and he is still the cheerleader on the sidelines. He puts his pads and helmet on, stands next to Coach McCamy and waits for his turn to play. Over and over during the course of the game Matt will say, "Coach McCamy, I am ready! I am ready Coach!"
On this Monday night coach gave him a chance. The Cardinals were down by a few touchdowns with 15 seconds left. Coach McCamy called a timeout and asked the coach of Maryville High School if they could run their "Matt Play". He agreed and this is where the video begins.
Thanks to Coach McCamy and the freshman coach at Maryville, Matt and his family will cherish his moment forever!
Some critical comments have been made on YouTube regarding this incident, stating that Matt really never learned anything because no one attempted to tackle him. Some believing that this provides him with "a false sense of hope and that's going to hurt him in the long run."
News flash people. The kid was never going to be able to play football in his life because of his condition. He loved the game and I am sure it was a thrill for him to get to carry the ball into the end zone once in his life. For people to take that away from him is ludicrous. Can't we just have one feel good story that doesn't have to be challenged. Do you really think he is going to go through the rest of his life thinking everything will be handed to him because he got to score a touchdown? If you do, you likely have some issues of your own.
This was a great outcome to a great idea orchestrated by two great teams with fantastic coaches. Had they taken the advice of some of their YouTube commentators, it is quite likely that we would be showing you video of Matt getting wheeled off the field on a stretcher. I think that makes the "don't tackle him" option the more logical one.
Matt Ziesel
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Way to go Matt well done. A touching story, thank you.
It’s that same feeling we all get when we participate with athletes from the Special Olympics. You can’t articulate it. It is the human heart, the human spirit and an incredible gift of sportsmanship. All who participated should be commended for one very incredible rare moment in sports.
i have to say WOW WAY TO GO MATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
both teams deserve a huge bouquet of roses for what they did for him,way to go guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
My compliments to both teams — especially the Maryville players for making this happen!
My concern is if Matt finds out later that his experience had not been “real” – that it had been all a lie? That his touchdown was given to him and not really earned by him? How would that knowledge affect him, his self-confidence, and his trust in people around him? What the two teams did was a nice gesture, but might this hurt Matt in the long run?
Matt’s experience WAS real. He scored a touchdown that he worked for by being at every practice and at every game. He was a vital part of the team, even if he only played from the sidelines. All the hard work he put in to play football earned him the right to finally score that touchdown. It was a beautiful moment, and I truly admire Matt, his teammates, the opposing team, the coaches, and anyone else who was involved in this event. This took my breath away, and everyone can learn a lesson from this event. Matt taught us to work hard and never give up. His team showed us to always be supportive, and the opposing team exhibited the ability to realize what truly matters in life- the simple happiness that we can give to others. God bless everyone who had a part in this moment. We can all learn a lesson from it.
Hey Cynthia. Do you know Matt? I think the only way this “experience” would hurt Matt is if he comes across someone like you. What a negative attitude you have. I personally do not know Matt, but from what I have seen I would say that Matt has a bigger heart than you. I believe a child having a disability or not should be able to fullfill their dreams. If they have a little help along the way it is because they earned it, and by the looks of it Matt earned that touchdown. And nobody, nobody can take that away from him. Not in his heart. Not in the hearts of his family or anyone who is close to him and loves him dearly. Matt did an outstanding job that day. And for your information I believe his self-confidence and trust in people may have gotten a lot more stronger.