COLLEGEVILLE – Down by a touchdown, the Granite City Renegades, the semi-professional football team, needed help to build momentum to carry them into the second quarter.

Donning a white helmet, No. 52 knew what he needed to do.

With the support of a huge fan base, No. 52 took his position behind the quarterback, ready to receive the handoff. Standing a good 4-foot-6 and weighing 75 pounds, No. 52 stared down the defensive line of the Mid-America Fighting Orioles.

The ball is snapped. The fate of the Renegades' next play rests in the hands of 10-year-old Matthew Lehner.

Eight years ago, Lehner was fighting a different battle. He was fighting for his life.

"He started getting sick (and was) vomiting," his mother Tammy Lehner said.

Three to four weeks later, the Lehner family received the diagnosis — cancer.

At two years old, Matthew was diagnosed with stage four Medulloblastoma, a cancer which resulted in multiple malignant tumors on his brain. Within a few hours of the diagnosis, Matthew was taken from St. Cloud Hospital to Children's Hospital in the Twin Cities.

"It was indescribable," Tammy Lehner said. "It is not something you are expecting to hear."

Matthew underwent major surgery to remove his tumors. Five rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation therapy and a stem-cell transplant within a nine-month period, Matthew was in remission.

Fast-forward eight years and the only sign the Holdingford fifth-grader has of his early cancer battle is his lack of hair. While cancer may have taken that, it certainly did not take his spirit.

Like any typical 10-year-old, Matthew loves being outside and playing video games. And he enjoys watching football, especially when cheering on his favorite teams: the Holdingford Huskers, the Renegades and the Minnesota Vikings.

So when the chance came to play in a Renegade's game, Matthew rose to the occasion.

"Matthew was just so excited," Tammy Lehner said.

The Granite City Renegades have hosted a cancer battle game for the past three years. Working with the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Greater St. Cloud, Community Manager for Relay for Life Sara Carothers said the Renegades were looking for a cancer survivor to help them with their cause.

"I had met Matthew at an event in Holdingford (last July)," Carothers said. "I talked to him for a bit and thought he would be a good fit for this."

With mom's permission, Matthew was given the chance to play.

"He had a signing back in April where he was presented with his uniform," Tammy Lehner said. "And he went to one practice a few weeks ago."

And with that one practice under his belt, Matthew took the ball and tore down the field.

Surrounded by Renegades players, Matthew "fended off" blockers as he made his way down the field.

"I did what my dad said," Matthew said. "I ran for my life."

And with Renegades players running down the sidelines following the action, and his fans cheering him on, Matthew ran his way in for a touchdown. It was a 77-yarder.

The team hoisted Matthew off the ground in celebration, not only for his "game-tying" score, but for beating out cancer.

Matthew still goes in for yearly check-ups. His mom said so far there has been no evidence of the disease. Even though Matthew may never play contact sports because of his early childhood cancer, his family is determined to let him live the life of a normal kid.

And for Matthew, that means enjoying his summer vacation.