12-year-old rides goalpost carried by fans following KU’s historic win

LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF) — University of Kansas fans are still soaking in the huge, historic win from over the weekend. The upset win over Oklahoma also sparked a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a Lawrence 12-year-old.

It started with fans storming the field — taking down the goalpost.

A seventh grader at Southwest Middle School in Lawrence is still riding the wave of that big KU win Saturday after he literally took a ride on the torn-down goalpost on the way to Potter Lake.

Colby Carpenter sat on top of the goalpost that KU fans took down in the heat of excitement after Kansas got its first top-10 win since 2008.

“I was the only one up that high. So I could get a pretty good view of everything,” Colby said.

Colby said college students cheered him on and hoisted him up.

“They were just like, get him up there, get him up there!” Colby said.

“My youngest goes, ‘Mom, it’s Colby. Colby’s on the goalpost,'” his mom said, “and I look up, and it’s just like, ‘Oh my gosh. How did that happen?'”

Colby said he didn’t have a worry in the world while being carried on top of the goalpost.

Seeing Colby smile ear to ear means everything to his mom and family.

“He was feeling awful a week ago,” his mom said

Colby has a type of anemia where the 12-year-old’s body doesn’t produce his own red blood cells, according to his mom.

She said he’s had 14 transfusions at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.

Last week, he started immunotherapy — hoping he doesn’t need a bone marrow transplant.

Colby’s mom is very proud of him — battling through the ups and downs, continuing to love life and stay positive.

“He always has smile on face, so positive,” she said. “He’s always looking for the good in everything.”

“I’m actually feeling pretty good right now,” Colby said.

Colby said the Jayhawks have a lot to do with that good feeling.

In a video his mom took, you can see Colby wave and say — “Hi, mom!”

She told him to “get off it.”

Then, Colby’s new college friends helped the 12-year-old get down.

“It was really fun. He did hear me to get down,” his mom said, “before he ended up in Potter Lake with the goal post, but it was all OK.”

Mom knows best – moments later, the goalpost and some of KU Junior Andrew’s friends were in the water.

“There was probably 5-10 people that got in,” Andrew said. “People fell in on accident when they were throwing it in. Some people went swimming to go steal it. There were three guys in the group that I was with that went swimming for it.”

Andrew said a crew was carrying the yellow goalpost home as a souvenir.

Meantime, Colby has a memory for life.

He hopes to one day take the field at Memorial Stadium in uniform.

The 12-year-old has a message for the current players.

“I’m really proud of you guys,” Colby said. “I really want to play for KU when I get older.”

The grounds crew wasted no time. The goalpost has already been replaced.

WDAF-TV reached out to KU several times Monday but hasn’t heard whether the University will be fined for the goalpost takedown.