A Middle School Football Team Went Behind Their Coaches Back And Did Something Incredible [VIDEO]

We love those heartfelt videos of football teams giving special-needs players the opportunity to score touchdowns, but the way that the Olivet Middle School football team in Michigan took things one step further gave one player a moment in the spotlight that he will never forget.

Most of the time everyone, from the coaches on the sideline to the fans in the stands, is aware of when and how these special touchdowns will be executed, but not this time. The players conspired for weeks, going behind their coaches back to plan out exactly how they would give Keith Orr, a special-needs player on the team, the chance to run into the end zone for the play of a lifetime.

Then came gameday.

Sheridan Hendrick, one of the offensive players on the team, was barreling towards the end zone for what was a surefire touchdown, when all of a sudden, he dropped to the turf at the one-yard line. Fans weren't happy about this at all, and didn't hold back from expressing their dismay for Hendrick stumbling and preventing the team for scoring an easy six points.

It was time for the next play. A play the kids on the team dubbed as the "Keith Special."

The ball was snapped. The quarterback immediately handed the ball to Keith, who then barreled forward toward the end zone as his fellow teammates all surrounded him and protected him from the rush of the defense. Keith crossed the goal line unscathed.

Touchdown.

The crowd erupted. Tears began to fall. Keith was carried away on the shoulders of his teammates for a moment that words could never describe. But this was more than just six points scored by a special-needs kid. This was the result of selflessness, displayed by a team of middle school football players that helped bring a community together with just one play.

Keith's mother Carrie Orr explained the once-in-a-lifetime experience to a local station.

Yes I’m excited and happy that he made a touchdown, but what have these boys showed this community? That’s what gets to me. They’ve got his back. And he knows it.

What she says is true, and the real learning experience here is seeing what coming together as a group can achieve when we put the needs of others before the needs of ourselves. The outcome can literally be life-altering.

If a group of middle school students can do it, we as adults should have no excuse.

[via Local15TV]