Valhalla High School’s Pint Sized Player-Zach McKay

                                   WHO SAYS “1/2″ ISNT A REAL JERSEY NUMBER? 

In football, more often than not, size does matter. But at Valhalla High School, one player who is half the size of everyone else, is the biggest player on the field.

 Zach McKay, 16, is barely 3 feet tall, but Zach is just like any other kid, one who just wanted to make the team. Head Coach, Steve Sutton heard about Zach’s wish and decided to see what he had. Zach was asked to play on the Junior Varsity Team as a Sophomore and this year, was asked to move up to the Varsity team.

 McKay may not be allowed to take any “physical hits” at practice or during a game, but this running back has become more than just a player on the team, he has become to icon…the mascot…the inspiration behind this League winning team.

 Not a 16 year old football player who weighs in at 50 pounds, standing proud at 3 feet 4 inches, not the typical stats for a high school athlete. But Zach isn’t your typical athlete or student.

 At Birth, Zach was diagnosed with “Acromesomelic Dysplasia” also known as a special type of “Dwarfism”. 1 out of 100,000 people in the world are diagnosed with this disability, but most of them are not as optimistic about their life and their situation as Zach.

 Instead of using this skeletal disorder as an excuse, Zach uses it as a way of life, a way to do the things most people wouldn’t believe are possible at his size. He has competed and medaled in the Special Olympics, been featured on the show “Little People, Big World”, a varsity football player at Valhalla High School, and has several hobbies like bowling, hanging out with his friends, and eating 10 jack-in-the-box tacos in one night.

 *To see an in-depth description of this life altering and extremely rare disorder, CLICK HERE.

 *To see a list of the “typical” symptoms Zach is faced with every day due to Acromesomelic Dwarfism, CLICK HERE.

*To see an exclusive interview with Zach himself, CLICK HERE.

*To see Zach in action on the field, CLICK HERE.

View Valhalla High School in a larger map