CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — At Cedar Cliff High School, the stadium lights were highlighting a new player.
On Friday, the football team made a special play, honoring one of its members who usually stays on the sidelines.
Head coach Colin Gillen explained, “We’re going to have kind of a first in goal at the 10-yard line. We’re going to hand it off to Kaden, and hopefully, he’ll be able to put it in the endzone.”
But senior Kaden Adams is no stranger to the team. One teammate, Guner Hiller said, “He always puts a smile on everyone’s faces and keeps everyone positive.”
Another teammate, Kade Finkboner, added, “He wants to give as much as he can to the team.”
Adams has been supporting the team from the sidelines for the last four years as its manager.
“Usually I’m on the sidelines, getting everyone excited,” Adams explained.
He is typically in charge of keeping people’s energy up and providing his teammates with whatever they need, both on and off the field. Now, his team is returning the favor.
“We figured since he’s a senior now and it’s our homecoming, why not let him get his moment,” said fellow senior and quarterback Bennett Secrest.
But while senior year usually means a lot of ‘lasts,’ Adams got to celebrate a series of firsts.
“This is my first game I’m actually going to be playing in,” Adams shared.
A moment that his grandmother, Andria Demuro, says he’s been fighting for his whole life.
“He fought his entire life and he’s gonna be a fighter for the rest of his life, and I’m just so proud of Kaden,” she expressed.
Fighting for firsts is no new experience for Adams. According to his mom, Brandi Brindl, he has been fighting for his experiences since day one.
“He was born with a congenital heart defect which caused him to have chronic lung disease, so seeing him out there with the team, it’s just everything,” Brindl said.
A series of surgeries and health conditions have kept Adams off the field until now, which made the moment his family saw him in his uniform for the first time even more special.
Adams kicked off the Colts’ game against the Carlisle Thundering Herd with his first-ever touchdown.
“It was amazing, I loved it,” Adams said excitedly, still panting from running his play.
Though it was Adams' first touchdown, the game gave everyone memories to last a lifetime.