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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Tyler Brown took the snap and felt a push from behind.

He charged ahead, not knowing whether he had made it into the end zone until he heard his teammates cheering.

"A dream come true," said Brown, who is legally blind. "I always wanted to know what it was like to be out there."

Up until this season, he had been on the sidelines at McComb High School in rural northwest Ohio, working as a team manager in football and basketball. He's still handing out water and towels, but he's also getting a chance to play.

Brown, a junior who scored his first touchdown two weeks ago, is able to see a little bit in front of him and make out some colors. When he's on the field, he runs with his head tilted so that he can see the shadows of the other players.

"He's pretty darn athletic," said Kris Alge, football coach at the school 40 miles south of Toledo. "It's just a shame he can't see."

Brown, 16, didn't believe it when his coach told him this summer that he wanted to get him into a game. "I just thought he was messing around with me," Brown said.

Three weeks into the season, he saw his first action on the defensive line.

A teammate ran onto the field with him and lined him up at nose guard. It was a memorable first play - he not only hit his man but also came close to taking out a referee.

The next day, he played in a junior varsity game, but he got hit hard on a kickoff.

It wasn't until two weeks ago that he got a chance to score.

With a first and goal at the 1-yard line, he lost two yards on his first carry. Then he fumbled on the next play just before he crossed the goal line.

"The hole was wide open," he said. "I thought I blew my opportunity."

Late in the game, McComb was up big when the coach gave him another shot.

This time, he lined up at quarterback and took the snap. Two of his teammates didn't take any chances and made sure he scored with a shove from behind.

"Those two wrapped me up and tackled me in," he said.

He heard his teammate, Clay Lilly, yell: "You're in!"

They all traded high-fives and chest bumps.

"The kids were going nuts. The people in the stands went nuts," Alge said. "It's been unbelievable."

• Watch Tyler, his coach and teammates in a Today Show interview

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)