Covington High's Number One Fan

NUMBER ONE FAN

COVINGTON HIGH’S

BY MEREDITH KNIGHT PHOTOS JERRY COTTRELL

Even for the most diehard Covington

Lions fans, it can be hard to keep your eyes on the game when Lane Moore is on the sidelines. Dressed in his CHS football jersey and a pair of shorts, he stands stalwartly beside the team. But he often can’t resist making his way over to the cheerleaders and joining them in a dance or two — or three. When a dance ends, it’s hugs all around and lots of high fives. At the end of the game, when the seniors take the field to sing the alma mater, Lane is there too, holding hands, singing and swaying with his schoolmates. But truth be told, for Lane CHS football is not his only passion; he also loves the Covington baseball team and being on the diamond with them.

Lane Moore is a recent CHS graduate with Down Syndrome and his own fan club that basically consists of the entire student body, their teachers and many of the football and

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PHOTOS MOORE FAMILY

baseball fans. Covington baseball enthusiasts know that no game is complete until Lane has had his turn at bat and run the bases. And it’s not unusual for CHS football fans to gather their stadium seats and other detritus at the end of a game only to hear from the press box, “Where are you going, Covington football fans? The game’s not over yet. Number one, Lane Moore, has the ball.”

And there he goes, lumbering down the field with his teammates — and often the players of the opposing team — running alongside him into the end zone. Then the fans go wild, Lane enjoys some celebratory chest bumps, and everyone heads home with a smile on their face. The 21-year-old has that way of bringing people together and of taking the sting out of any loss.

“Win or lose, Lane is there,” said CHS Head Baseball Coach Jeff Dragg. “Even if we don’t have a winning season, with Lane here we’ve had a winning season. Even if we’ve suffered a miserable loss, the boys will remind me, ‘Coach, we gotta’ let Lane hit.’ It means as much to them as it does to Lane. Believe me, he’s had more of an impact on these boys than they’ve had on him. Even if we’ve had a bad season, Lane still thinks we’re the greatest baseball team in the world.”

“It started because he came to all our games,” said CHS graduate Ty Loyd. “Then he started hanging around after the game and we’d set up a tee, act like we were fielding, and chase him around a bit. The other team usually sat on the sidelines and cheered. Then the fans caught on and started chanting, ‘Run, Lane, run.’ He loved it.”

And it grew from there. “We started off using the tee,” said Dylan Lynch. “But Lane realized that wasn’t the way the rest of us were hitting, and he wanted to be like us. So we took him in the batting cage and started tossing the ball underhand until he got the hang of it. If someone tried to go easy, he’d call them on it. Then Coach Dragg got him his own uniform and just started doing whatever he could to make him feel like part of the team. Coach Dragg will do anything to see Lane smile.”

“If he misses a game, we can’t let him know about it, or he’ll be upset,” added Matthew Fritscher. “At one away game, he didn’t get to hit. I think it was starting to rain and the other team covered the field before he had a chance. So we took him out in right field and we set up our hats like bases, so he could have his hit and chance to run.”

“It’s really great to see the opposing teams get into it,” Coach Dragg said. “When we played St. Paul’s and Lane got up to bat, both teams fielded for him. Lane is part of this team and, as long as I’m here, he’ll have full reign. He puts things in perspective and reminds you what life is all about.”

What does Lane have to say about all this? In his CHS letterman’s jacket standing in front of his “Lane Moore #1 Fan” sign, he said with certainty: “I’m the fastest runner of all of them! I made 105 home runs!”

“He can list all the other teams and tell you the score of every game,” said Lane’s dad, Grey Moore. “He really lives for football and baseball season. (He doesn’t care for basketball because he says it’s too loud.) He gives the team a pep talk before each baseball game, he leads them in their pregame stretches and, during the game, he leads the crowd in the wave. If the team isn’t doing well, the coaches bring Lane over to give the players a pep talk.” The family appreciate the support they have received from the CHS community and especially Coaches Salter, John Boudreaux and Dragg.

“I tell them they can’t put their heads down,” Lane said. “They have to hold their heads up and get in the game.”

When Covington experienced historic flooding in 2016, and the Moore’s house flooded, Lane’s teammates jumped at the chance to help. “They found out we’d flooded and nine or ten of the players showed up with Coach Dragg,” said Kendi Moore. “They worked all day pulling out wet sheetrock, tearing out the kitchen countertops, anything we needed.” It was the least they could do for the buddy who’s come to mean so much to them.

“When you think of Covington High baseball, you think of Lane,” said Dylan Lynch. “He’s a big part of the team and a big part of this school.”

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