HENDERSON, Colo. -- After four years on the sidelines, a Colorado teen with cerebral palsy got the chance to live out his dream. Prairie View High School student Patrick McKinney scored the last touchdown during the school's senior night game.
The heartwarming video showing McKinney scoring a touchdown in his wheelchair is quickly going viral. You can also watch the video here. Warning -- you may want to grab a box of tissues before you watch.
McKinney talked with Denver7 as his football team practiced for their final game of the season. He's been a team manager throughout his high school career.
"It just makes me enjoy myself and makes me happy," said McKinney.
The touchdown happened with minutes to spare during the team's last home game against Cherry Creek. Prairie View Coach Ben Startzer called up their opponent earlier in the week to run the idea by them.
Coach Startzer describes the moment he realized there was an opportunity for McKinney to score a touchdown, "I said 'hey, I want you to score a touchdown for us and he looked at me kind of weird like what, what are you talking about?'"
The teen's friend, Brandon Porta, pushed him out onto the field and over the goal line.
"Rocking in his chair, I’m pushing him going through the line yelling, 'let’s go!' and right when we crossed that touchdown is when the teams both came together and celebrated football," said Porta.
In the video you can see how players from both teams rallied around McKinney. Once they're in the end zone they begin chanting Patrick's name.
"It felt great because I’ve been on this field many times but I haven’t ran a touchdown in on this field in my four years to make it count," said McKinney.
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