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On the sidelines of Gretna High School football practices and games, you'll find Cade Bryson, a senior who has served as the team's manager for four seasons.
"He is the biggest Gretna Dragons fan that you'd ever come across," said Gretna football head coach Joe Dalton.
Bryson's enthusiasm for the team is evident to everyone around him.
"I love this team. They're really good," he said. "They're good people, people you want to be around. And just energetic. Same thing with the coaches."
The players and coaches feel the same way about him. Senior quarterback Michael Knudsen said Bryson's dedication to the school is unmatched.
"He bleeds green," Knudsen said. "Always talking about Gretna and stuff like that. Always talking about people who have graduated from Gretna."
Sophomore linebacker and running back Cayson Schlotfeld said Bryson brings positive energy to the team, especially during difficult moments.
"Against Norris, (which was a) tough game. Even when I came on the sideline asking for water, I think everybody notices around our school he really is a part of our team," Schlotfeld said.
Bryson has autism, but that hasn't stopped him from being an integral part of the team.
On the field, he's another one of the guys.
Dalton said one thing he hopes his team can learn from Bryson is the value of preparation and consistency.
"We talk about not riding the roller coaster of emotions all the time," Dalton said. "But in terms of our day to day approach in terms of in the building or working or things like that, he is one of the more consistent kids that we have in terms of his day-to-day mindset, and I really appreciate that about him."
Dalton said Bryson hopes to manage a team in college, and he's going to do what he can to help make that happen.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
