Photo courtesy of Blank Children’s Hospital.

It’s Cyclones versus Warhawks at today’s Iowa State University home football game, but one Panther will be taking the field at Jack Trice Stadium.

Panorama High School student Gavin Pote is this week’s Kid Captain, as part of a partnership between Iowa State Athletics and Blank Children’s Hospital. Kids who have faced challenging medical situations and have been a source of inspiration to those around them are chosen to serve as honorary captains for the game. Pote is no exception, as his fight to survive when he was born at 24 weeks gestation led to his family’s March of Dimes team, which has raised almost $50,000 for the last 15 years.

Pote was considered a “micro-premie” when he was born through an emergency cesarean section in August of 2013. He then spent 111 days in the newborn intensive care unit at Blank Children’s. Now at the age of 16 Pote is involved in 4-H and FFA, and has an interest in photography. The game between ISU and Louisiana-Monroe will be today at 11 a.m., and can be heard on AM 1310, FM 99.7 KDLS.