Sending a positive message

Harold Keller

Last year, ESPN ran a special on a young Northwest High School football player from southern Ohio. His name was Jake Porter, not a starter; in fact, not even a regular substitute.

Because of an illness, which caused mental retardation at a young age, Jake was not your typical high school athlete.

Dave Franz, the coach at Northwest, allowed Jack to be on the team for the past three years. Coach Franz had a play designed just for Jake. It was a special play for a very special young man.

Jake only got in the game on the very last play of any game that had already been decided. His team was either ahead or behind by a big margin before Jake entered the game for this special play. His assignment was to get the ball from the quarterback and kneel down to run out the clock.

If that was the whole story, it would have been good enough to touch the hearts of any sports fan. The rest of the story tells how a coach of the opposing team allowed compassion to win over competition.

As the game was coming to an end, with Northwest behind 42-0, there was time for one last play. Jake was sent in to kneel and kill the clock.

The opposing coach, knowing Coach Franz’s practice of allowing Jake to take part in the game, stopped the clock, ran across the field, and told Coach Franz to let Jake run the ball and his team wouldn’t tackle him.

When time resumed, the ball was given to Jake and he automatically was going to kneel, but one of his teammates held him up. Run, Jake, run! Jake seemed puzzled, but run he did – up the middle, untouched by the opposing team that had cooperated and allowed Jake to score and end the game. The final score was 42-6.

Jake not only gained the affection of the fans at the game, but because of national coverage all week, touched the heart of a whole country.

Coach Dave Franz has to be commended for his patience, love, care and compassion for Jake. The opposing coach should get a Peacetime Medal of Honor from President Bush for his compassion and looking at the bigger picture in the game of life.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational organization. Call 652-8477 or write to P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084.