Pastor Dewey Note: The following article inspires me greatly! WOW! Reminds me of the movie “Radio” also a true story of a High School Football Student Manager. For me it is also a blessing to have this article written an old friend Gary Herron who I worked with when we were both at the Sports Animal Radio station in Albuquerque. Thank you Gary for letting us post your story! God Bless you, and thanks for spreading the good news!
Written By Gary Herron Sports Editor of Rio Rancho, New Mexico Observer: Sterling Kriser, the heart and soul of the Rio Rancho High School football team, is saying goodbye to the Rams, as he’s graduating after eight years at the school.
This 22-year-old Special Olympian traditionally has served as the team’s ball boy and leads the Rams onto the field before every game, often carrying the U.S. flag.
Afflicted with Asperger’s and mild retardation, Sterling has had a decorated life with the Rams, all dear to his heart: He has lettered once and has earned four bars from his RRHS football service. With his Rio Rancho Rockets (Special Olympics) team, he has one letter and four bars, for basketball and track and field.
His duties as ball boy include setting up the field with the yard markers (10, 20, 30, etc.) and removing them for every home game; and looking carefully at the players’ helmets, pads and facemasks, so if anything needs to be fixed, he is there to help fix it.
He likely is the most-positive person and biggest supporter of the Rams; if the team were to face the Denver Broncos, Sterling would tell you he thinks the Rams could win.
“Sterling is one of the most special people on this planet — he literally bleeds blue and green,” RRHS football coach David Howes said. “He loves his team and his teammates like he would his own brothers.”
Sterling’s interest in football, says his mother, Dorcas Kriser, “probably started when he was a young tyke and went with me and (his father) Sam to all of the Arizona State University football games when Sam was in college. We sat on the 50-yard line, front row, at every home game.”
After the family moved to Rio Rancho, she said, “When he was at Lincoln Middle School, the P.E. teacher, Vincent Metzgar, asked him to be a helper for all the sports at the school. In seventh grade, he started working with the football team at Rio Rancho Mid-High.”
Since that time, she said, her son has made “enduring friendships with each of the team members — he truly loved all the young men on the team and sees each of them as a friend. The excitement he has for the sport is evident in his dedication to the team and his personal growth is evident with his continued involvement with the team.”
Sterling expanded his horizons; last spring, he served as the team manager for the Rio Rancho lacrosse team, which won the state championship, and he earned a championship ring ”that he proudly displays all the time,” he mother said.
He’s also been a Rams wrestler, has served as a team manager for the grapplers and track and field teams, and worked part-time at Otero’s Dairy Queen.
In addition to a glorious career in Special Olympics – garnering four-dozen awards over a 10-year span – Sterling, a Boy Scout, has been an assistant scoutmaster. In 2012, he earned a merit badge by rappelling down a building in Downtown Albuquerque.
“Rams football has helped him grow into who he is today,” says Dorcas Kriser, recalling an incident about two years ago, when “Sterling traveled out of the Albuquerque area for the first time. He would stress out about what would happen if: the bus crashed, a fire happened on the bus and different things like that. Through talking with (his) mom, dad, Howes over the years, we helped Sterling understand that we can’t control the ‘what if’?”
So, “what if?” her son hadn’t received such great support during his time at RRHS?
“As a parent of a “special needs” child, you worry about them being susceptible to bullying,” she said. “It is a fear that many parents share. Seeing the personal involvement of the team and how they are all excited about Sterling and his commitment to the Rio Rancho team is exciting — Sterling loves everyone and enjoys making friends with everyone. To him, everyone is his friend.
“We love the fact that so many love and appreciate his dedication to the Rams,” she said.
Football might still be in his future, says Dorcas Kriser: “The head coach for the (New Mexico) Stars indoor football team has contacted him about the possibility of working with the team as a manager. We will know more this month or next.”
Also in his future, she added, her son will soon depart “on a service mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
He’ll be missed at Rio Rancho Stadium.
“Sterling is truly a Ram that bleeds blue and green,” RRHS football coach David Howes said. “His nature is inspirational and abilities are remarkable. Sterling rarely missed a day during the season as he worked four different levels in one week; I told him he only needed to work varsity, but he insisted on going to JV, C-team, and freshman games. Many looked at double duties as a put out or being overworked, but Sterling begged for the opportunity to work with everyone.”
The guy’s got a sense of humor, says Howe, recalling, “In 2011, Sterling was on the sidelines when a La Cueva player was knocked out of bounds and slammed into Sterling.
“Sterling’s legs buckled and he slid under a metal bench. I thought he was hurt and this was my only concern when he came to us in 2009,” he said. “He popped up and insisted he was OK. For the next six months he kept asking me for the DVD of the game so he could show his friends and family how quickly he jumped up and that the La Cueva kid didn’t hurt him.”
Asked if he wanted to participate by wearing a uniform for Senior Night in 2012, Howes continued, “He got upset because he couldn’t do his job with football pads on.
“Sterling is a special person filled with optimism, love, loyalty, and heart. I will never forget him and I cherish every minute he spent with us,” Howes said. “We will always be his family.”
It’s a beautiful account of how our God can and will use anyone who is willing and obedient. It’s a great inspiration to us and others who the world wants to put on the shelf. Thank you for sharing, Pastor Dewey.