Salisbury's football manager, sophomore Tyler Strauss, has walked virtually every step with the team over the past two seasons.

Strauss, who is diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome, attends all of Salisbury's football games, both home and away. He practices with the team throughout the week and in the humid summer months. He's visible in the weight room during lifting sessions.

As head coach Andy Cerco and any member of the Falco football team will tell you, Strauss is a member of the Salisbury family.

Nearly two weeks ago in Salisbury's season finale against Southern Lehigh, Strauss experienced a moment that he'll never forget, one that got the two-year manager on the field in a varsity game for the first time. On the game's final play, the two teams set up Strauss for an 80-yard touchdown run that brought the Falcons to within 42-34.

"When we actually sent him out there it was kind of very normal," Cerco said. "As the play developed, he started running and really took off and separated from everyone.

"I don't even know what words to use to describe it. It's really a great thing for Tyler and he's obviously very excited. He's still talking about it."

"It was a good opportunity to help a kid like Tyler experience something like that," said Southern Lehigh coach John Toman, who lives across the street from Strauss. "To see it going on live, it got nothing but praise from everybody that was there, both Salisbury and Southern Lehigh people. We're happy to be a part of that."

An intellectual disorder that affects both males and females, Fragile X syndrome occurs when FMR1 (a gene on the X chromosome) becomes affected in individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. The CDC also estimates that 1 in 4,000 males are affected by Fragile X syndrome, compared to 1 in 6,000-8,000 females.

The idea of involving Strauss during a game was brought about by a number of the team's seniors, including Wes Maron and Teddy Denver. Both were supposed to lead Strauss into the end zone, but those plans took a turn after Denver suffered a broken leg late in the second half.

Maron, who was injured in the team's first game of the season, was stride for stride with Strauss as he crossed the goal line as time expired. Maron hasn't played since his injury against Saucon Valley on August 29.

Mason Donaldson and Tevon Weber were also two key parts in setting up Strauss's special moment.

"I started talking to Coach Toman about two weeks before the game," Cerco said. "During the week before Southern Lehigh, Tyler actually practiced with the team every day."

Strauss's touchdown was the final one for a Salisbury team that eclipsed 28 points six times this season.

From the lingering effects of concussions, to the disturbing hazing incidents in the sport across the country, it was nice to see a positive sign between the hash marks.

"Today [Monday], I was out in the yard playing football with my son, and the neighbor walked by and said it was a real nice story to read about a football program," Cerco said. "You see so many negatives about football programs and things going on in football in general."

"It was just a positive moment of kids coming together," Toman said. "It was a rivalry, but this was more important than the football game."

While there has been plenty of support and encouragement throughout the Lehigh Valley, Strauss's story has reached individual's all over the country via the Internet.

"Every time you turn around, it's someone else saying something about it," Cerco said. "We have a comments section on the school website, and people were submitting things that way. A woman from Mississippi emailed us…She had no connection to the school or anything like that, and she saw it on Facebook somehow. She emailed the school and let us know about how it was nice to see."

The play is still fresh in his mind. When Strauss saw Cerco on Monday morning at the school, he couldn't help but remind his coach of his "record" play.

"On Monday I saw him first thing, and the first thing out of his mouth was about how he set the record," Cerco said with a chuckle.

The next thing Strauss brought up was next season and is excitement for 2015, which will be his third year with the team.

"The next statement he made was we're getting ready for next year," Cerco said. "It's mohawk season next year. That's his thing. He said if we make the playoffs we're getting mohawks.

"For what it's worth, everyone says what our players do for Tyler and all of that stuff. I don't really look at it that way. I look at what Tyler teaches our players is powerful."