A Mesquite middle school student who was told he was too big to play Pee Wee football finally got to hit the gridiron Monday night.
Elijah Earnheart is 6-feet-3-inches tall and weighs 300 pounds. His size would make high school football coaches salivate, but it was too much for his Pee Wee team. The Mesquite Pee Wee Football Association said Elijah exceeded the 135-pound weight limit for seventh-graders.
But weeks after a media storm hit when the 12-year-old wasn't allowed to play, he suited up with for the Wilkinson Middle School team.
While Elijah, No. 70, towers over some of the other kids, weight doesn't matter in this league.
His mother, Cindy Earnheart, said her son has been looking forward to playing.
"He's so excited," she said. "He didn't even want to go to sleep last night. He's been trying to drink Monsters all day to have energy. He's just really excited for himself and his team."
Elijah's coaches said they're still teaching him the basics of football. They said they hope he becomes a good lineman on the high school level.
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Right now, they just want him to have fun with his teammates.
"He's a very humble kid," said Matt Tecklenburg, Elijah's coach. "He keeps it all in perspective. He just goes out there and, like, he doesn't talk about it. He doesn't talk about what's going on. He's just out there playing, having fun."
