A pregame play at South Mecklenburg High School’s likely final home game of the season gave 17-year-old senior Evan Pech, who has Down syndrome, a chance to score a touchdown. Players from South Mecklenburg and rival Garinger joined the celebration on the field.
The coaches arranged the play before Senior Night, according to the Charlotte Observer. South Mecklenburg lined up at Garinger’s 20-yard line for Pech to get the ball, and Garinger’s players had agreed not to tackle him. Coach Joe Evans had told Pech he would score; South Mecklenburg was facing Garinger in the game that followed.
Pech led the pregame huddle, and Evans played the WWE theme music of wrestler Bautista, whose entrance music Pech likes, the Observer reported. After scoring, Pech greeted fans in the student section and took pictures.
Four Years With the Sabres
Pech has spent four years around the South Mecklenburg football program, attending practices and junior varsity games, according to the Observer. Evans arranged for him to have a place on the roster and wear No. 38. The touchdown was not his first: Evans set up a similar play for Pech in a junior varsity game against Myers Park two years earlier.
Alycia Thompson, who teaches South Mecklenburg’s exceptional children adapted curriculum, has helped Pech progress through programs during his time at the school, the Observer reported.
A Celebration Shared by Both Teams
Evans said the touchdown and the response from both teams moved him, according to the Observer. Garinger coach Jupiter Wilson said his players joined the celebration, and Pech’s guardian, Colleen Claffey, told the paper she was moved to see him included on Senior Night.
The game also came during a rebuilding period for Garinger. Wilson became the school’s first-year coach in January 2025, after the program had gone through six coaches over the previous decade, according to The Charlotte Post. The team earned its first win in six years in its 2025 season opener, the outlet reported.
Inclusive Programs Beyond One Game
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says its Extensions program includes transition and community readiness among the areas of instruction for students following the Extended Content Standards. Special Olympics North Carolina says its Unified Champion Schools bring young people with and without intellectual disabilities together through sports and education to promote acceptance and respect, and that it has nearly 600 official Unified Champion Schools across the state. Special Olympics Mecklenburg County says it offers school- and community-based programs to more than 3,350 athletes in 19 sports, including Unified sports. A separate football example came in a different place and format: KWTX reported that Bosqueville arranged a touchdown against Axtell for sophomore Conner Castillo, who has cerebral palsy, on Nov. 8. KWTX’s report described the play as a chance for a classmate and supporter to score.
The CDC says Down syndrome affects about 1 in 6,000 newborns in the United States annually. For Pech, Senior Night offered a shared celebration between two rival teams, marking his years of involvement with South Mecklenburg football.
