HANOVER - With 1:02 left in the game, Norwell boys' basketball coach John Willis made the call. His team had a 66-49 lead against Hanover last night, and it was time for a sub.
"Andrew, let's go. You're going in," said Willis, walking along the bench.
Senior guard Andrew Lawson tapped the scorers' table and replaced his childhood friend, James Long, Norwell's leading scorer. Long embraced Lawson's 5-foot-4-inch frame and rubbed a fist against his head as he took the floor.
Andrew, who has Down syndrome, got in the game.
Sixty-two seconds of playing time might not seem like much, but for Andrew, it was just enough. He had a layup and sprinted toward the other end of the court slapping hands along the way with a gaping smile as Norwell defeated Hanover, 68-51, running its unbeaten streak to 18 games.
"It's great to see him get in," Long said. "We all have grown up with him. It's like he's been one of the guys since kindergarten."
In Andrew's four years at Norwell, teachers, administrators, and coaches have worked under the theme of inclusion. He did not take separate classes. If he wanted to play sports, they found a way to make it happen.
Jim and Regina Lawson only wanted their son to have an experience to equal his peers. What they received was a community of support to grant Andrew the optimal environment for learning.
"I look at how far everyone has come in this process, and it really starts from his parents and their expectations of Andrew and the school," Norwell special education teacher Judy Field said. "Their expectations were high, and it's one that everyone has risen to."
Classroom settings were not always smooth for Andrew. Field worked to coordinate his classes. She came up with ways to help him sit in traditional classrooms, but learn at his own pace.
Science teacher (and varsity soccer coach) Jack Browne met Andrew his freshman year and thought soccer would be right for him.
"There was no reason why he couldn't be in the soccer program," Browne said.
Andrew was placed on the junior varsity team. Classmates Patrick Laffin, Kevin Helm, and Jon Buckley became his buddies. They made sure he got to practices, talked to him during games, and encouraged him at school.
There was never a lack of help when it came to working with Andrew.
"It's not like they felt pity or sympathy for him," Browne said. "He's just the kind of kid you can't help but want to be around. I'll always remember him, and I know his teammates will, too."
During the fall, Andrew scored on a penalty kick in a 6-0 win against Hull.
After he scored, his teammates carried him off the field while fans cheered.
Recently, Andrew started his first varsity basketball game, when Norwell took on East Bridgewater. He scored 11 points in the three minutes that was unofficially "Andrew's quarter."
When he came out, East Bridgewater players walked over to slap his hand.
"You could tell his teammates were really proud of him, and for my guys, it was an experience where they were really happy for him as well," East Bridgewater coach Mark Alessandri said.
In the hallways at school, Andrew's sister Bridget often hears people yell, "Lawson!" as her brother goes to class.
What makes everyone fall in love with Andrew?
"He's accepting of everyone and people treat him the way he treats everyone else," Helm said.
His parents said they can never thank everyone enough for making these four years so special for Andrew, but Regina Lawson hopes others will see that Andrew's experience can be achieved.
"It can be done," she said. "To be accepted and part of the school makes it easier to be socially accepted."
Field said Andrew has not been the only one to benefit from the experience.
"It's not, 'Oh, isn't Andrew lucky,' " she said. "It's, 'Aren't we lucky to have Andrew.' "
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com
