Cincinnati Bengals

Young Bengals fan from Cleveland has 'best day of his life' Sunday

Published Oct. 12, 2015 7:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

A teenaged Bengals fan from Cleveland dealing with cystic fibrosis had his wish to see his favorite team play granted by the Make-A-Wish foundation, and it was made even sweeter by Sunday's dramatic comeback victory over Seattle in overtime on Sunday.

Mark Bionci, 15, got to meet head coach Marvin Lewis in addition to two of his favorite players in A.J. Green and Andy Dalton as part of a dream weekend that included attending a team practice and a tour of Paul Brown Stadium.

"The best day of my life,” Bionci said via WLWT in Cincinnati. “I’m like the only Bengals fan in my school. Everybody else is a Steelers or Browns fan so it's tough but we're the better team.”

Bionci watched as Dalton rallied the Bengals from a 24-7 deficit in the fourth quarter on the way to a 27-24 win in overtime. While other Bengals fans have soured on Dalton in the past, Bionci's faith in the quarterback has never wavered.

"I've always stuck by him, Bionci said. "Everybody gives him a hard time because of the playoffs, but I think he's really changing around and he's a great quarterback. A franchise quarterback for the team."