Reitz Journalism

“I am just living a dream even though I cannot play. A win for the team is a win for me,” said freshman Zach Harris, a student manager of the Reitz Football team.
That dream of being a part of the Reitz varsity football team might seem an impossible one, for a Reitz freshman in a wheelchair.
Harris suffers from Cerebral Palsy, which is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious conditions that cause physical disabilities in human development.

The role that Zach Harris has played on the football team has been most evident at the end of the homecoming game against Castle. Harris was pushed out onto the field, first in line, leading the Reitz team as they shook hands with the opposing Castle Knights. Harris feels like he is a part of the Reitz Football Family, and he is.
Photo by John Wells

The disorder has confined him to a wheelchair, but doesn’t take away his love for the game.
Panther Head Coach Tony Lewis heard from Head Custodian Kirk Owens that Harris wanted to help out with the football team. So during enrichment Lewis went to talk to Harris.
“Zach was excited, he gave me his father’s number to ask permission,” Lewis said. “His dad said he would enjoy it, he would have a good attitude, and he would work hard.”
Harris’s official role on the team is a student manager, but his real job is team motivator.
“He is really a part of the team, he is just as important as anyone else,’ said sophomore quarterback Matt McIntosh.
At pre-game warm ups, Harris fires up the Panther players with inspirational and moving speeches.
“Sometimes I will give a speech that will motivate the team and keep them fighting, to keep up their sprits,” said Harris.
Zach’s words are empowering, encouraging, and inspiring to the players.
His words are working for the City and SIAC champs.
“He has helped us realize we are more than a family,” said junior running back Alordo Bell. “We don’t argue like other teams in Evansville. Zach shows us how we can be like and how we are.”
The role that Harris has played on the team was most evident at the end of the homecoming game against Castle. Harris was pushed onto the field, first in line, leading the Reitz team as they shook hands with the opposing team.
Harris can’t play on the field; however being on the team is enough. He feels like he is a part of the Reitz Football Family.
‘They consider me another teammate,” Harris said. “We joke and laugh. They accept me as another kid, and I respect that.”
And Harris is playing an important role on the team.
“He makes everyone appreciate what you have, and motivates you to be the best they can be,” said senior captain Josh Lefler.
And the entire team has accepted him as one of their own.
“I think the players enjoy having Zach around, they chip-in and help Zach around the school,” said Lewis. “He makes them understand they are lucky. It inspires, excites, and motivates them.”
And it is Harris’s disposition and attitude that keeps the team’s focus in perspective.
After last year’s state title and graduation of the “dynasty”, many thought that the team would have a rebuilding year. Not Harris.
“He makes me want to do better because he can’t be on the field,” said Bell.
“ Zach talks about why it is an important game, playing hard and never giving up,” said Lewis.
One of Harris’s strengths is the way he speaks. He empowers everyone who hears him , giving the strength to try harder, to dream bigger, and to fight for the winning goal.
“It just comes to my head, depending on who we play and how important the game is,” Harris said, explaining where he gets his ideas for pre-game speeches.
Harris is an important part of the Panther team, but he believes that he is getting something in return.
“The players inspire me to never give up.”
It is this attitude that has become a hallmark of the Panther team, to never give up. The team, and all of its members, can be as strong and as powerful as they can be, even with setbacks, because personality and heart is the strongest thing they have.
“In practices he makes everyone try harder,” said Lefler.
The way Harris speaks to the team makes the players understand their self-worth and the influence they have on the rest of the team.
“He is such a help for the team, and is an emotional boost for us,” said McIntosh.
Harris is humble in his position.
“I can’t think of a specific time when one time made a difference,” said Harris,
But the players disagree.
“He makes the whole team grateful, we play for him. If he could be on the field he would,” said McIntosh.
“I want to be a regular kid, to be one of them. They accepted me which is all I can ask for,” said Harris.
Harris wants to be a regular kid, but he is like one of us and his speeches to the team are just his way of expressing himself.
“Out of everything in my life this has been my greatest and highest honor,” said Harris.
With Zach a part of the team everyone steps back and sees how Reitz is a close bonded family, even through diversity within the campus.