Blatnica was named Special Olympics Athlete of the Year by the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards.
Watch the moment his school surprises him with the award in the player above.
Blatnica was diagnosed at a young age with physical disorders, including hypotonia, mitochondrial myopathy and speech apraxia. This meant developing his motor skills and speech were especially tough.
He excelled far beyond what doctors originally thought and soon found his place in sports when he was introduced to unified basketball as a freshman.
Jake tore his ACL right before high school sports shut down due to the pandemic.
He made an incredible recovery and was cleared to make an appearance in the final game of the season where he scored a layup.
“The execution couldn’t have worked out better,” says Jake’s coach Ben Maki. “It was like a Disney movie the way it worked out.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teen athlete named Special Olympics Athlete of the Year