Rival teams work together to help boy with Down syndrome score big

Two rival basketball squads teamed up to give a 12-year-old water boy the game of a lifetime this week.

Zachary Owen, an eighth-grader with Down syndrome, has always sat on the sidelines, cheering on his Falcons teammates from Meadowlawn Middle School in St. Petersburg, Florida, but not once has he actually stepped into the court — until now.

The team was down 40 points in their final game of the year when the Meadowlawn coach subbed in Owen. Without hesitation, Owen gleefully jumped up, checked in and ran onto the court. After all, he had been working on his jump shot on his own during team practices all year.

“He has Down syndrome but physically that hasn’t limited him at all,” Owen’s mom, Judy, told CBS affiliate WTSP. “I was crying like a baby.”

Sporting lucky number 23, Owen sprinted up and down the court looking for a path to the hoop as the clock ran down. His first try, the basket was a swish. The second time, however, boys from the opposing team, Bay Point Middle School, did something pretty incredible: they rebounded his miss and passed the ball back to him until he scored.

The stadium filled with cheers.

Both teams worked together to make sure Owen got his time in the spotlight. His teammates passed him the ball, the opposing team returned it and both clapped their hands and jumped up and down whenever Owen scored, which happened several times throughout the game.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been that excited,” Owen’s dad, Greg, told WTSP.

But the excitement didn’t stop there.

After the game, Bay Point presented the young boy with a basketball signed by the entire team and then posed for photos while exchanging high-fives with the star of the game.

“I think he’ll remember it for the rest of his life, that day,” said eighth-grader Evan Graham.