Best touchdown of the week: Logan Pickett of Heritage High!

Here’s the touchdown that started it all: Cartersville at Heritage, 4th quarter, October 2, 2015:

UPDATE OCTOBER 15, 1:15 P.M.  Here are some great photos from Logan’s visit to the UT Vols practice.  Top photo is Logan with Coach Butch Jones, followed by Logan with Heritage High School coach E.K. Slaughter, and then Logan with QB Josh Dobbs!

Logan Pickett with Coach Butch Jones, Oct. 15, 2015

Coach E. K. Slaughter of Heritage High with Logan Pickett

Logan Pickett with UT quarterback Josh Dobbs

UPDATE October 14, 10:30 p.m. Just in from Knoxville: Logan Pickett and his family, along with Heritage Coach E.K. Slaughter will be guests of Tennessee Vols Coach Butch Jones at practice on Thursday! What a great time this will be for Logan and his family. Kudos to Coach Jones for making arrangements for this visit. Have a great time, Logan!

This is an easy one!  Kudos to the Heritage Generals of Catoosa County and the state’s top-ranked Cartersville Hurricanes.  Friday night at Heritage, with Cartersville leading 42-0 near the end of the game, a beautiful thing happened.  Logan Pickett scored the Generals’ first and only touchdown of the night. Look at that photo.  Certainly, the Heritage kids are happy.  But do you see # 4 for Cartersville, running back Tiamon Pennyman?  He had a great night, but it looks like his happiest moment was watching Logan score for Heritage!

Heritage Coach EK Slaughter told me, “Logan IS HHS. He is a selfless servant that helps football, basketball, and tennis. He loves our students and ALWAYS has a smile on his face! He never misses a day and never asks for anything in return. He is a great example for our young men on how to have a great attitude and love others around you. He is GREAT!” Logan was brought into the program by former coach Tim James, and Slaughter says, “We’re blessed to have him.”

18-year-old Logan is autistic, and serves as a Generals team manager (football and basketball), making sure the players get plenty of water.  From the reactions I’ve seen on Facebook, he is certainly Heritage’s most beloved student.  On the sidelines, he loves to get fans fired up, saying, “I like to act a little wild.” Friends describe him as a huge Tennessee Vols fan.  He loves Peyton Manning, and Peyton’s current team, the Denver Broncos.

His mother Danielle wrote this on the team’s page:  “For those of you who don’t know who this is, you are missing out! This is HHS Footballs biggest fan and tonight he is a player….. #7 Logan Pickett. He scored our only touchdown of the night against Cartersville. He is an amazing young man with the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. He is a senior this year and tonight he was a captain for our football team, but he will forever be captain of our hearts. We love you Logan Pickett.”

From Gillis-Gilliland Titus: “There are no words to describe the abundance of emotions going through our hearts as we watch our #7 run that touchdown!!! Logan you brought the house down, not a dry eye I don’t think! You are such an inspiration to all those who are blessed to know you, you’ve touched so many lives!”

Michael Lea summed it up well:  “Sometimes football games are more than just games. Sometimes the scoreboard does not tell the story. Sometimes what appears to be a defeat is in fact still a great victory. That is what you see here… a unified gain void of rivalry and contention but rich in sportsmanship and love. Love not for winning a game but for the triumph of the human spirit and giving to another. Way to go Heritage Generals… Way to go Cartersville Canes… Way to go Logan Pickett!”

Next time you go to a Heritage football or basketball game, be sure to cheer for the Generals, but especially for Logan Pickett.  He’s the heart and soul of that school, and now he’s added a touchdown to his long list of achievements.  I’m hoping for some big wins by the Vols and Broncos this weekend, in honor of Logan!