HUDSON, Fla. — No Hudson High football game can begin before the head coach and team manager meet up.

Cobras head coach Timothy Hicks can’t kick off until he’s taken the handoff from Hudson senior Dakota Schull with the list of winning plays.

Dakota works hard on those plays. He meticulously writes each one down on a piece of paper. And even though he’s never played a down of football, he knows the sport. And he’d give anything to be able to play it. But Dakota suffers from Prader-Willi syndrome, a disorder that affects his physical and mental development.

“What he’s gaining out of this is memories and experiences,” Dakota’s mom Wanda said. “He knows he can’t play, but he feels like he is.”

That’s the key, being a part of something. Being accepted by his peers. And being celebrated for the miracle that he is. Wanda Schull was told her son wouldn’t live past the age of 10. His disorder causes low muscle tone and that includes his heart. His rare genetic disorder can cause congenital heart defects. But Dakota has continually shown he’s all heart.

“They told us he wasn’t going to make it,” Wanda said. “And here we are senior year, gonna graduate and we are blessed.”

Dakota has never taken a snap and run the football. He’s never made a tackle. But he is just as much a part of the team as every player on the roster.

“It means the world for a child to be a part of something, any child,” Wanda said. “So we are just blessed because we are accepted whether we can do it or not. And that’s what means a lot. It really means a whole lot.”

Dakota’s living his best high school life by showing the true meaning of team.