Of all of the regular season finale high school football games played last week, perhaps the most memorable took place in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

The Atlee High School Raiders were at home facing the powerful Blue Devils of Varina High School.

It was late in the fourth quarter with the game already in hand.

Atlee coach Matt Gray decided to do something special. He opted to insert senior Sepp Shirey into the lineup.

Shirey was a loyal Raider, always sitting on the sidelines. He’d been a member of the varsity team all along but never had a chance to play. He suffers from cerebral palsy and has related mobility issues.

As with all other game nights, Shirey’s heart wanted to be part of the action but his body wouldn’t allow.

Coach Gray knew it. He alerted the officials and opposing coach.

A fast plan was concocted to allow Shirey to run a yard or two with the football and then be “tackled” by Varina defenders with just a light, two-handed touch.

But something really special happened under the stadium’s bright lights, and it’s something that will be remembered for a lifetime.

The ball was snapped at the 20-yard line and handed to Shirey, who burst forward on a run.

His Atlee teammates didn’t need to block because the entire Varina squad made no attempt to tackle. In fact, the opposing team ran along and cheered.

It was a special moment, with an even bigger surprise to come.

To the astonishment of everybody on the field and in the stands, Shirey ran — even if he struggled — a full 80 yards to the end zone.

He ran as fast as he could, at times faltering, but always finding strength to pull his legs forward.

When he crossed the goal, his tired legs finally gave out. He collapsed to the turf just as officials declared “Touchdown!”

It wasn’t just an ordinary Friday night game. It was a game that stood out for all the right reasons.

Coach Gray said afterward that Shirey’s presence on the team was appreciated all through the years. Coach felt it was time to do the right thing.

“We all have limitations,” he said.

“Obviously his are visual, but those are things, that you know, you talk about being inspired … he will not allow anything to hold him back.”

Shirey was given a tremendous opportunity and found the strength to make the most of it.

The touchdown counted.

But, of course, the game already had been decided.

The Atlee Raiders, this year, were no match for talented Varina High School.

Varina won by a lopsided score.

But on this night, the numbers didn’t matter.

Two teams, two coaches and fans on both sides recognized that some things are more important than a scoreboard.

Their pride, ego and sense of fierce competition were supplanted by love and humanity. So they ended their regular season by giving a morale boost to the person who needed it most.

Varina won the gridiron match, 63 to 21.

But the final score didn’t matter. On this night, everybody joined together in one big huddle. And everybody won.

By Donald R. Serfass | tneditor@tnonline.com