Triad freshman Byrd: 'He's just like any kid'

Freshman wide receiver Derick Byrd has a prosthetic foot, a great attitude ... and an insane love of the game.

Wide receiver Derick Byrd, a freshman on the Triad High School junior varsity football team, lines up against Mechanicsburg on Saturday, Oct. 17. Derick plays with a Cheetah Flex-Foot, a prosthetic leg, after his left leg was amputated last year because of complications from bone cancer. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic

Barbara J. Perenic Wide receiver Derick Byrd, a freshman on the Triad High School junior varsity football team, lines up against Mechanicsburg on Saturday, Oct. 17. Derick plays with a Cheetah Flex-Foot, a prosthetic leg, after his left leg was amputated last year because of complications from bone cancer. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic

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Triad High School junior varsity wide receiver Derick Byrd plays with a Cheetah Flex-Foot, a prosthetic leg, after his left leg was amputated last year because of complications from a type of bone cancer.
Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic
»View a photo gallery of Derick Byrd at SpringfieldNewsSun.com.

Barbara J. Perenic Triad High School junior varsity wide receiver Derick Byrd plays with a Cheetah Flex-Foot, a prosthetic leg, after his left leg was amputated last year because of complications from a type of bone cancer. Staff photo by Barbara J. Perenic »View a photo gallery of Derick Byrd at SpringfieldNewsSun.com.

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By Brian Plasters, Staff Writer Updated 10:59 PM Thursday, October 22, 2009

NORTH LEWISBURG — Like most receivers, Derick Byrd is always open.

Well, in his own mind, anyway.

“I try to run the best route I can,” the 5-foot-3, 120-pound Triad High School freshman said. “That’s what I’ve been focusing on, because I’m not that fast, but I can still run a good route.”

Byrd may think like most receivers, but he is not like them.

He wears a prosthetic leg, called a Cheetah Flex-Foot. He got it in September after he broke his previous prosthetic leg playing — what else? — football. The Cheetah allows him to get to full speed quicker than his previous prosthetic, plus he can stop and cut easier.

Although Byrd’s left leg is different from those of his teammates, Triad head coach Payton Printz said Byrd never asks for special treatment. Byrd wants to be thought of as No. 80 on the roster. No more, no less.

“He’s just like any kid. Every time he runs a route, he wants the football,” Printz said. “He’s no different. Just because they took his leg, it hasn’t changed his attitude or his mind, that’s for sure. He’s all boy.”

Byrd was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, when he was 8. He’s been cancer-free for six years, but his left leg was amputated above the knee last year after complications from the disease.

Before that, Byrd had a titanium implant, but he couldn’t participate in football, much less run or jump. Receiving a prosthetic leg has allowed him to participate fully.

Byrd does take a few precautions. He has two prosthetics, a walking leg and the Cheetah, that he changes daily. The team carries a letter from the Ohio High School Athletic Association that states he is released to participate. The Cheetah is fitted with a cleat, and it is wrapped in layers for the protection of the prosthetic and the opponents trying to tackle him.

Byrd plays on the reserve team, but still joins the varsity squad on Fridays on the sidelines with the other reserve players.

“It’s insane. It’s pretty cool,” Byrd said of playing under the lights. “You run out there, and there’s so much energy in the air. ... Now I know why people keep telling me it’s the best sport in the world.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0366 or bplasters@coxohio.com.

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