Lower Merion, Ridley High School Junior Varsity Lacrosse Teams Goes Viral After Special Moment Had Both Teams Celebrating
LOWER MERION, Pa. (CBS) -- Lower Merion's junior varsity lacrosse team is going viral. It's all thanks to an Instagram video and the team's captain, Kamari Bolden.
What happened on the field had both teams celebrating.
Tuesday's lacrosse game between Lower Merion High School and Ridley High was winding down. Ridley had a substantial lead, but Lower Merion had a special player and a special play in mind.
"Kamari's teammates were coming up to me, 'hey coach, let's get 'Mari in, let's run 'Mari,'" Lower Merion JV coach Jamie Gaffney said.
Kamari is a 10th-grade life skills student at Lower Merion High School who is usually on the sidelines cheering on the team, but he was about to have the biggest moment of his life.
Kamari is a big part of the team. He's at every practice. He suits up for every game, but the players made sure during this game, they involved him in a special way.
"I kind of thought that the right approach would be to give coach over on the Ridley sideline and heads up and say, 'hey, we got a first-timer in'," Gaffney said. "This was all the Ridley coaching staff. The head coach looked at me and said, 'forget that, let's get him a goal.' We brought Kamari into the huddle, we decided to run a play. We called it Kamari Special, we gave it two good tries and on the second go, Kamari buried it."
Both teams erupted rushing the field to cheer on Kamari, no longer rivals, all embracing a moment much bigger than the game.
"I was really expecting it. It was really fun," Kamari said, "and I think the guys was really excited to see that. I think the guys just wanted to see me get out there and score a goal."
Kamari is back at it, back at practice, pushing the team to win -- leaving them with a life lesson that goes far beyond just the game.
"It was really fun, and I hope I can score again," Kamari said.
"He means a lot to me and everyone," Sam Shaffer, a Lower Merion lacrosse player, said. "He's out here every day supporting us, making us get better and I really love him here. Lacrosse is more than a game, it's about the compassion and the camaraderie."
