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Aledo football player doesn't let Down syndrome slow him down

There isn't much 14-year-old Blaze Mayes can't accomplish. He never uses having Down syndrome as an excuse, and proved that once again Thursday night on the football field in an Aledo High School freshman game.

ALEDO -- There isn't much 14-year-old Blaze Mayes can't accomplish.

He never uses having Down syndrome as an excuse, and proved that once again Thursday night on the football field in an Aledo High School freshman game.

"We just let him play, and I think it was probably his most memorable moment yet," said Zachary Prestwood, a teammate.

Zachary Prestwood

With time ticking down in the first half, Mayes took the field and rushed to the right 20 yards for a touchdown.

It is the running back's one and only during a game.

"I like to go fast," he told News 8 on Friday. "It felt good."

Blaze Mayes

Players cheered him afterwards in the end zone, a moment that was captured by WFAA's media partners at the Star-Telegram.

Prestwood said the freshman squad finally convinced their coach to orchestrate the touchdown, and after opposing Saginaw and the officials agreed, it was all up to Mayes.

"It was a pretty special feeling," Prestwood said.

Mayes and his teammates hit the weight room hard on Friday, but all anyone really wanted to talk about was the epic TD on Thursday that has left a program closer than ever.

Blaze Mayes lifting with his teammates.

"They're a great group," said Freshman Coach Billy Warren. "One of the better ones we've had recently."

The team is undefeated so far this season.

Warren says Mayes and his enthusiasm for the game and the team are a big part of that.

Blaze Mayes gets his teammates fired up as they goof off in the weight room.

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