Caden Russell loves football.
Ever since he was little, he had a love of the sport, from collecting football cards and paraphernalia to studying and researching football statistics. He’s exceptionally well versed in the NFL and Super Bowl statistics. He enjoys discussion and analysis with fellow teammates, friends, and adults about NFL history, facts, and stats.
One might venture to say Caden is somewhat of a local authority figure on the subject. One amazing detail though, Caden has an autism diagnosis.
Caden has always had the dream of playing football. Given his autism diagnosis, he was unable to play when he was younger. Caden made it a point to work hard, and he has been able to join the Lisle High School Football team. As a Lion, Caden has been fully included on the team and has participated in all practices.
Caden’s Dad, Dr. Kevin Russell, said, “I am beyond grateful to Coach Dillard and the Lisle staff for making his dream come true.”
Caden and his Dad experienced tremendous heartbreak this year after Caden’s mom passed away from cancer. Caden’s Coach knew it was time to get Caden in the game.
Lisle Lions Coach Dillard reached out to Peotone Coach Tsiamas to see if the Devils would participate in making a dream come true for Caden – to let him get in the game.
Peotone Head Coach Apostolos Tsiamas said, “Coach Dillard reached out to me prior to the game and said he would like to get the young man into the game if the opportunity presented itself. At the end of the game, we called a timeout and Coach Dillard said he was going to put him in the game. At that point, I told Coach Dillard to let him score a touchdown. We relayed it to our players, and they were all on board. It was all very emotional to watch.”
Lisle passed the ball to Caden and Caden took off down the field straight to the end zone. Players ran down field as if to stop him but somehow, Peotone players just couldn’t keep up.
Caden scored a touchdown.
Caden’s dad shared his excitement, “I am beyond grateful to Coach Tsiamas and the Peotone Football Program for assisting Coach Dillard at the Peotone game so he could get in a game. None of us ever expected he would catch a pass and score a touchdown!
“The players on both teams went above and beyond for Caden and demonstrated a level of sportsmanship that was second to none. This was especially meaningful to Caden and our entire family. My wife’s dream was to see Caden play football and, while she wasn’t here physically, I can’t help but think she also had a hand in Caden getting out on the field so he could score a touchdown. It is a memory that will last a lifetime!”
Caden’s story is proof that it’s more than just football; it’s the people that make it worthwhile.
Coach Tolly is an amazing individual! Peotone is lucky to have him ?