Friday Football Frenzy: Cheltenham High School Program Connects Special-Needs Students With Athletes Through Sports
WYNCOTE, Pa. (CBS) -- The high school football season is winding down -- there's just two more weeks of Friday Football Frenzy. Tonight's Game of the Week is a playoff battle between Kennett and Cheltenham.
It's hard to ignore the spirit of friendship beaming from this group of students from Cheltenham High School. You can tell by their uniforms that they're athletes, but the group is much more than that -- they're buddies.
They're part of a program called Athletes Helping Athletes, which connects special-needs students with athletes through team sports.
"There was a little bit of apprehension at first from some of our guys because they weren't sure they'd be good at it. And then once they started to experience and work with the unified athletes, you can't keep them away now," Cheltenham head football coach Ryan Nase said.
Many of the relationships have evolved even off the field.
And so have the opportunities for these athletes on the field. For the first time this year, they've started to introduce honorary captains who get to spend game day alongside the football and cheerleading captains and perform the coin toss at the game.
Watch the full video for more.
