On Dec. 7, the Franklin (Texas) High football team was preparing for a state semifinal game against Edna with a customary send-off pep rally at the school.
The Lions are the biggest show in the town of 1,614 about 65 miles southeast of Waco. The 3A powerhouse entered the season two-time defending state champion and was working on making it back for a fourth straight year. But before the band fired up the fight song, there was an important first order of business: a surprise for a local celebrity.
The football team's leadership group called Nash Pils, a 17-year-old junior with Down syndrome, to the gym floor.