8-year-old boy becomes high school mascot

TULSA, OK (CNN) — An Oklahoma second-grader is literally facing his fears head on.

Gunner Alley used to be afraid of mascots but now, he is one.

The 8-year-old plays a mascot named, “Lil Red” on the sidelines of Verdigris High School football games.

Gunner wears an authentic cardinals head that his family bought along with a costume his mother made.

Gunner now equates being a mascot to “being a super hero.”