OLD LYME — Around town, they call Peter Kuhn "The Mayor."
The Old Lyme High School senior with Down syndrome is just one of those kids who knows everybody and everybody knows him.
By now, they probably know what Kuhn did Nov. 21 playing for the Valley Regional/Old Lyme football team. In which case, they might start call him "Touchdown Pete."
Or "Pizza Pete." That was the play call.
On the last snap of a 25-8 Senior Night victory over Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, the Warriors dialed up Kuhn's number and the running back took it 51 yards to the house.
"I just focused on my speed and my distance," Kuhn recounted. "I focused my head and I focused on what my coach said. He said, 'Don't give up.'"
Kuhn deked two guys at the line. His teammates escorted him the rest of the way and swarmed him in the end zone.
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A cynic might say it wasn't really a touchdown, that it was contrived, that Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton, in a gracious act of sportsmanship, allowed him to score.
That may all be true.
But it's also true it was a touchdown very much earned. Kuhn has been part of the Valley Regional/Old Lyme football program since his freshman year. He goes to practice. He goes through drills. He supports his teammates.
And they support him.
"He's been been through the ups and downs," said senior quarterback Giovanni Winters. "Last year, we were 1-9. He was upset last year. This year, he was waiting all year for that one run, and he was excited. He was so excited. He's been practicing his touchdown dance since July."
"He's been a part of us and this is not like some gimmick," said Valley head coach Hill Gbunblee. "He is a heart-and-soul kid; he comes to practice. I'm his position coach. Running back drills, he's right there with each and every one of us. He's a part of this and we wrap our arms around him and fully embrace him."
Let's ask the young man himself: Peter, do you feel part of this team?
"Yes," he said in the tumult of Valley's dramatic 22-18 win over Haddam-Killingworth on Tuesday night. "I do."
Peter Kuhn (No. 25) and Valley Regional/Old Lyme Warriors celebrate Tuesday night’s 22-18 Principal’s Cup win over HK #cthsfb pic.twitter.com/ziUtAfyoie
— Bryant Carpenter (@BryantGTCT) November 27, 2024
The Warriors, who will play at Ansonia in the CIAC Class S quarterfinals Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., have a tradition of inclusion. Just before Kuhn arrived, Cal Miller, another player with Down syndrome, suited up for Valley.
Kuhn also hails from a football family. A very big family: Peter is the seventh of Adam and Margaret Kuhn's eight children.
Five are boys. All five played football: Eli, the eldest, at St. Bernard, David and Joseph at Valley, and now Peter and his younger brother Paul, a sophomore, at Valley.
"Coach Hill has been a big part of welcoming him and making him a full part of the team," said Margaret Kuhn. "He's all about including him and making sure he's got a space on the team.
"I'm very, very touched by Coach Hill creating such a family out of the team so that everyone's got a place, so that all the boys recognize his gifts."
That sort of thing is right in Gbunblee's wheelhouse. He's a special education teacher in Regional School District 4.
"I know the benefit of having such an inclusive environment for these kids," the head coach said. "It enriches them as much as it enriches Cal or Petey or any other child who decides they want to come and be a part of this, because it's representative of the community, and that's exactly what it should be."
Peter started playing football in the East Lyme youth league before signing on with Valley. He also participates in Unified Sports and the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut's basketball program.
Football, though, is his No. 1 game.
"My dad and me love to watch football," he said.
Peter also loves to sing. He's a chorus veteran. He paints, he draws.
His classes are mixed, some regular, some special needs. Adam has a background in construction and Peter wants to follow in his footsteps. The hope is to have him attend a tech school in addition to the Lyme-Old Lyme Transition Academy after graduation.
"He's a regular Renaissance man out there," said Margaret Kuhn. "His chemistry teacher last year said, 'I don't know how he's doing it, but he's balancing chemical equations.' Should he be able to? No, not on paper, but he's doing it. He's a motivated student."
Touchdown runs help keep him motivated in football. Last Thursday's score was a varsity first. Peter's prior TDs were in junior varsity games.
"He was the high-scoring player for a while," Adam chuckles. "He loves it; they love it. The team really gets into it. It's a good thing to see."
Gbunblee notes that a staple of special education is getting students to advocate for themselves. Peter seems to have that mastered. Two days before Senior Night, he approached his head coach.
"Coach, I want a direct snap out of the shotgun or a 16 counter."
"He knows what's up; he knows what's going on," Gbunblee said. "He's a good kid."
For all this to work, the "good" has to cut across the board.
"I give a lot of credit to the other teams that have always been working with our team with a special needs player," said Margaret Kuhn. "Coventry the other night: They're a team that has had a rough record this year, a tough season. They're counting the number of touchdowns they have had instead of the number of games they've won, and they were fine with this happening in regulation time, and the points went on the board.
"To me, that generosity of spirit is unique and appreciated."