They could’ve gone home in tears, but their teammate gave them a reason to smile

Harlan could have left Pikeville feeling miserable following a 47-14 rout Friday night in the first round of the Class A Russell Athletic/KHSAA Commonwealth Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl. But one player gave his teammates a memory that’ll last longer than the Green Dragons’ season-ending loss.

Kyle Allison, a junior with high-functioning autism, scored Harlan’s second touchdown after he recovered a fumble and returned it about 40 yards.

“The football program has always been really good to him,” said Mike Allison, Kyle’s dad.

Kyle has played football for seven years and is also part of the tennis team, which Mike coaches. He’s also an honor roll student at Harlan and is in the boys’ choir, from which he’s been chosen as an all-state selection in the past.

Cindy Allison, Kyle’s mom, said getting an opportunity to play has never been a major motivator for her son.

“He just likes to talk football and be with the guys, go to practice and eat with the team,” Cindy said. “He enjoys doing that with the choir too. I’ve been really thankful for the football because that’s given him a way to relate to his peers and helped him with his socialization and given him a sense of belonging.”

Mike works on the radio broadcast for Harlan. After the game he thanked Green Dragons Coach John Luttrell for giving Kyle the opportunity to have a special momemt; Luttrell said it was Pikeville Coach Chris McNamee who actually approached him to help arrange it.

“It was a big thrill for Kyle,” Mike said. “He was just all smiles and his friends were kidding him. It’ll be a big deal for him. ... The sportsmanship displayed by Pikeville was pretty special.”

Harlan’s bus broke down on the way back from Pikeville, giving the Green Dragons a little bit more time to reflect on their most recent game and the season overall.

“It could have been a not very fun bus ride home,” Cindy said. “They got beat pretty badly but I think the boys love Kyle and they love sharing in moments for him. What could have been a really sad trip home was kind of fun and the memory they’ll take away from this ball game tonight is, ‘Kyle got to score.’”

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 1:29 AM with the headline "They could’ve gone home in tears, but their teammate gave them a reason to smile."