Collinsville team makes room for one more on Friday nights: 'It means everything to me'

COLLINSVILLE, Okla. — On Friday nights, running out of the tunnel is usually reserved for the players in pads. But this season, the Collinsville High School football team made room for one more.

Max Whitekiller and his teammates gave their friend and classmate, Josh Butler, his very own jersey — and a spot running out of the tunnel alongside the team.

For Whitekiller, seeing the joy it brings his friend is the best part of game night.

"It's really cool to see him happy on Friday nights before we run out of the tunnel," Whitekiller said. "Just to see the excitement and joy on his face means like everything to me, and a lot to the kids and even a lot to the town. It just shows the town that Coach Jones and the coaches care about these kids and that they want to see these kids happy."

Collinsville head football coach Kevin Jones said the gesture reflects exactly what he hopes to teach his players.

"It was awesome. You know, that's the thing we want to try to teach our guys," Jones said. "First of all, to have a heart for others, and second of all, that we're just kids like everyone else. We just happen to put on jerseys and pads and play on Friday nights in front of a lot of people. But we're all in this together."

And Josh has made the most of his spot on the team. Among his favorite parts of Friday nights: showing off his muscles for the crowd — flexing as teammates cheer him on — and, of course, scoring touchdowns.

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