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An Atlee football player with cerebral palsy got the opportunity of a lifetime Friday night when he scored an 80-yard touchdown in Atlee’s game against Varina.

Sepp Shirey was born with cerebral palsy, but is a dedicated member of the Atlee football team. Cerebral palsy limits his ability to walk, and Sepp often uses crutches to help.

On Friday night, coach Matt Gray put Sepp in the game. It wasn’t Sepp’s first appearance. He had played a few snaps earlier this year against Armstrong, and a few last year. Gray had asked that defenders simply put their hands on him, two-hand touch, instead of tackling him.

This time, Sepp’s father, Hunter, was on the sideline, and he told Gray, no, let them tackle Sepp. Gray alerted the referees that Sepp was taking the field, and they relayed it to Varina coach Stu Brown.

Gray called for a handoff to Sepp up the middle. But Varina’s defenders opted not to tackle him. Instead, they cheered him on as Sepp ran, with a ball in his hands instead of crutches, 80 yards down the field. They motivated him and ran with him toward the end zone. Sepp crashed into the end zone, falling into the arms of a teammate.