ELKHORN, Neb. ( WOWT /Gray News) - A teenager returned to his high school’s football field in Nebraska for the first time since undergoing open-heart surgery.

When Jack Burke first lined up at his receiver spot early in Mount Michael Benedictine’s football game against Schuyler on Sept. 12, he didn’t expect the ball to come his way.

“I didn’t think I was going to get the ball,” Jack said. “Just let my instincts take over.”

The Knights junior not only caught the pass; he scored a touchdown.

The moment was worth far more than just six points.

“One of my teammates came up to me and said, ‘He’s back. He’s back,’” Jack said. “Just hearing that made me feel really good.”

Jack has been a competitor his whole life. He’s a three-sport athlete at Mount Michael Benedictine.

He was also born

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