WACO, Texas — In the span of 57 yards, Titus Holdman went from Midway senior to internet sensation, Ford Tough Player of the Week and game ball winner for the Panthers.
He was given the ball while Midway trailed in a game to Cedar Hill. Holdman is on the autism spectrum. Despite being a team captain, he had never been given game action, until right then.
“It was fun, I run so fast," Holdman said a few days after the game.
In a video that now has more than 15,000 views on Youtube from Sports365, you can see his teammates and fellow students go wild as he crosses into the end zone.
“It was awesome, he’s earned it, everybody loves him. We all were excited to see it and I was grateful Cedar Hill allowed him to get that moment and it was awesome to see," Holdman said.
Holdman is described as the player who is first to the facility, never misses a day and greets each and every player on the way.
Head coach Shane Anderson took over just before the season started, but he said he quickly became close with Holdman.
“The student section here at Midway is unbelievable and they started chanting Titus and I knew then it was time to get him in the game," he said. "Got him the ball and he took off and he erupted, there kids handled it great and man it was awesome, it was an awesome moment for Titus and his family."
The team joked that Holdman would be signing autographs for a few days after that run.
"That was exciting, I was shocked that time," Holdman said.
The team motto for Midway is "We Will Win." Despite just a single W in the win column in 2021, it's a run like Holdman's that proves a win is much bigger than a record or banner.
“No matter how bad a day you’re having or how rough a situation you’re going through or what our record is as a team, you see Titus and he’s here and he’s smiling here everyday," Anderson said. "And he's happy to be here. Titus don't care about the scoreboard and he don’t care about the record, he’s just excited to be a part of this program and excited to be a part of a football program.”