TIFFIN, Ohio — Ke'Mani Jackson's football career is in the early stages as a member of Tiffin Youth Football. The eight-year-old spends every weekend playing for his team, the Browns, at Hedges-Boyer Park.
On Sept. 27, Ke'Mani was at Mayer Field watching the Heidelberg University football team practice, not knowing he would score the biggest touchdown of his young life.
Ke'Mani was just there to watch the practice because he loves football. Then . . . Heidelberg senior Montavious Yearby, who had never met Ke'Mani, saw him and felt the need to say hello.
"It seemed like he wanted to come out on the field," Yearby said.
For Ke'Mani, it was a dream spontaneously come true.
"(Yearby) asked if I could come down there and play with him," Ke'Mani said. "Then, I said I would go ask my mom and she was all the way up the steps. I walked up there and asked her, she said yes."
Despite preparing for a conference battle with Muskingum University, the Heidelberg players didn't mind the new addition. Ke'Mani quickly turned from spectator to participant as practice went on.
At the end of practice, the team let Ke'Mani score a rushing touchdown on the final play.
"I thought that one guy was going to tackle me, but then someone came over and pushed him," he said.
Yearby, the player responsible for making this moment a reality, couldn't believe the kid's approach.
"He said he wasn't nervous, saying 'man, I'm a football player," Yearby said. "So, I was like, 'okay,' he's already got the attitude. Just letting him do that and be a part of it was a great opportunity for him to feel like he was loved."
Heidelberg head coach Scott Donaldson had seen Ke'Mani in the stands a few times before. His family began attending practices a few weeks ago, showing up every other day.
When his players decided to include the young athlete, Donaldson was all for it.
"It showed unbelievable maturity and just a great love for this community. Heidelberg is a great member of the Tiffin community and Tiffin is a very special place with special people," Donaldson said. "The rest is what you see on film. It went wild, they had to stop practice for about three minutes because it was a little too crazy."
The video of Ke'Mani's touchdown garnered a ton of traffic on social media.
It also served as a reminder of what an act of kindness can do.
"You never know who is looking in the stands," Yearby said. "You've got a lot of kids who look up to players, but you'll never know that unless you talk to them. I feel like that's a great opportunity all across the board."
Whether it be the college players or Ke'Mani himself, the impromptu experience is a memory nobody will forget. As for what his friends at school might think now, here's what he told WTOL 11.
"First of all, they're going to be surprised that I was even on the field and then they'll be surprised that I'm doing an interview," Ke'Mani said.
On Sunday, he will return to his Tiffin Youth Football team and play the Chiefs while Heidelberg (3-1) will host Mount Union on Saturday.