LAPEER COUNTY, Mich. – Above the game field at Almont High School hangs a declaration on the press box: “Tradition starts here.”
Kindness starts at Raiders’ practice.
That’s where you’ll find special needs senior Ben Schurig front and center every Monday afternoon before lining up at running back one Friday night each season.
“It’s about inclusion,” said varsity assistant coach Jeffrey Bacholzky.
There’s no question Schurig, diagnosed with Down syndrome, is all-in with Almont.
“He puts a smile on everyone’s face,” said senior linebacker Cohen Ferqueron. “He’s always bringing the energy.”
“He has some funny jokes he likes to tell over and over again,” said senior running back Matthew Bacholzky. “They somehow hit every single time.”
Ben’s bond with the boys began in the middle school church league. Once their hearts opened, so did the playbook.
“We brought the idea up [as a coaching staff], ‘Hey, do you think we can pull off a play in a game?’” Jeffrey said.
Bacholzky and company figured out a way. With understanding and cooperation from opponents, the Raiders’ most supportive role player could become the centerpiece of the offense for one play.
“He has some of our phone numbers,” Matthew said with a smile. “He’ll call us in the offseason and talk to us about his play.”
The direction changes of the play change, but most things have remained constant.
Matthew always takes a handoff on a jet sweep with the entire offense by his side and scores, pointing to a cheering crowd before being lifted by teammates in the endzone.
“It was amazing to see how happy he was,” Ferqueron said of this season’s score on Sept. 5 against Imlay City. “He was pumped up.”
So was the rest of the town.
“Everybody knows him,” Jeffrey boasted. “He had dinner at several restaurants in town. They footed the bill because they were excited about his big touchdown, and he lived it up for a whole week.”
Trust in others has paid off in full for Schurig’s parents.
“It’s everything,” Schurig’s father, Jerry, said. “We concluded that education is important, but socialization is paramount.”
“Fear breeds hatred,” his mother, Kim, added. “We’re all the same. We’re all people.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by teammates like Matthew.
“The things you learn, the things you say, the things you do for other people, they’re always more important,” Matthew said.
Ben can’t be alone—not when a team has his back, running alongside him and growing up together.?