Part of the team: Autistic boy an assistant coach for Shelby Whippets

SHELBY — Alex Bushey stood beside Shelby football coach Rob Mahaney on the practice field, armed with a play sheet and sporting a red Shelby T-shirt and khaki shorts.

If not for his age, Alex would have looked like any other assistant coach. He is a freshman at Shelby High School.

But there's more to Alex, much more. He is on the autistic spectrum. His different perspective on life has endeared him to his teammates and the rest of the coaching staff.

"Alex has had a huge impact on this team and me personally," Mahaney said. "He exemplifies why football is the ultimate team sport.

"He shows that football is way more than winning and losing. It is about how the relationships that Alex has built with this team, myself and the coaching staff have positively impacted us all for the rest of our lives."

Alex isn't involved in game plans. His role is to provide encouragement.

"Hey, keep up the good work," Alex said as some of the players formed a huddle.

His positivity has made an impact.

"He's out here every day," said Eli Schwemley, a senior lineman and team captain. "When we're having a hard day of practice, he's out here with a smile on his face, trying to cheer us up. Even though he's a coach, he's our age."

Players chipped in to buy Alex his own jersey

The players have adopted Alex as one of their own. They went so far as to get him his own jersey.

On game day, Shelby football players wear their jerseys to school. Without telling their coaches, the players talked on Snapchat and decided to get Alex his own jersey.

"The team came together and pitched in a couple of bucks," said Mason Vent, a senior tight end and defensive end and another Whippet captain.

Players went a step further.

"The jersey we saw online was kind of sketchy," Vent said. "We designed one online. We tried to get it as close as we could to our jersey."

After raising $85, the players took their idea to Johnny Johnson Sports, a screen-printing and embroidery retail store in Ontario.

Alex is No. 00. He received the jersey on the one-year anniversary of scoring a touchdown for last year's eighth-grade team.

"It means a lot to me. I really love these guys, and they really love me back," Alex said.

He explained his new Friday routine.

"It makes me happy (to wear jersey), Alex said. "I'll bring it to the game. I wear my coaching outfit (polo shirt and khakis), and after the game, I will hold up my jersey if we get a win."

Mahaney met the team before last week's game against Galion and referenced the jersey.

"I told our kids before the game and reiterated afterward that I couldn't be more proud of them," the coach said. "To put someone else's needs in front of yourself is awesome. To me, that's what it's about."

High School Principal John Gies added, "We talk a lot about kindness with the students and how you treat people. I don't know if our players quite understand the impact this had on Alex."

'Our kids have taken to Alex'

Alex also has a place with the student body.

"Our kids have taken to Alex," Gies said. "It's amazing to watch them during the day."

Aaron Bushey, a sergeant with the Shelby Police Department, is the proud papa.

"It's even hard to put into words how good and beneficial it's been for Alex," Bushey said of his son's place with the football team. "I'm at a loss for words. This whole season has been kind of magical for him."

Alex played in junior high and said he is considering a return to the gridiron next year.

"When Alex was in seventh grade, he wanted to go out for the football team," Bushey said. "I was really, really, really nervous and full of anxiety. I wanted him to stick with it, and he did."

As a member of the eighth-grade football team, Alex scored a touchdown on a play called "The Bushey Express." He earned the TD, too, because the other team didn't know his situation.

That touchdown was the exclamation point.

"It made me feel good about myself," Alex said of finding the end zone. "It made me feel like I accomplished my goal."

Bushey said Alex has been diagnosed with autism and autism spectrum disorders, which can make life challenging at times.

"When it comes to autism, there can be a lot of bad," his dad said.

Bushey attends every Shelby game to watch his son. He works the home games and makes sure he is not on-duty for the away games.

Alex stalks the sidelines wearing a pair of noise-canceling headphones to make the experience more sensory friendly.

Like his son, Bushey was moved by the jersey, which he calls Alex's "prized possession."

"It's not something I'm going to find on the bedroom floor," Bushey said.

Bushey said his son thrives in a structured environment, such as the one he has with the football team.

Looking ahead, he could see Alex attending Pioneer Career & Technology Center to study "something that is hands-on." Alex is fascinated with garage door openers and can take them apart and put them back together.

Alex works at Whippet Up Cafe, an in-house coffee shop

For now, Alex enjoys working at the Whippet Up Cafe, an in-school coffee shop run by students with disabilities and overseen by intervention specialist Molly Mahaney, the coach's wife.

More: Students with disabilities serve up coffee, smoothies at Whippet Up Cafe

Coach Mahaney said he already knew Alex before the freshman expressed an interest in being a Whippet.

"Alex wanted to be a part of the team, and we wanted Alex to be a part of the team," he said. "He's just there to help the coaching staff and the players. He does a great job of reminding us about little things.

"He repeats things that he hears coaches saying, all the lessons we try to teach."

At a recent practice, the scout team jerseys had not been brought out, so Alex went to retrieve them.

"He just has a lot of energy. He's always yelling about something," Vent said. "You can tell he cares about us."

For his part, Alex said, "I'm willing to coach hard and make sure these guys get better every day."

He relishes his time with the team.

"After a long day at school, I get to spend time with my football family."

Alex said his main goal is for the Whippets to make the playoffs, which is almost a sure thing. Shelby entered play Friday with a 4-1 record, including a 2-0 slate in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference.

But it's more than football for Alex and the Whippets.

"Knowing that if we win or lose, we're still a family, and we stick together," Alex said.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

X (formerly Twitter): @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Autistic high schooler an important coach for Shelby football team