High school football player gets another shot on field
FLOWER MOUND, Texas - A high school student with a love of football has his dream come true with the help of some of the coaches and players.
Eiler Buck has a diminished physical capacity. After numerous surgeries, it's a challenge for him to walk or run long distances. He cannot speak except through an iPad and speaker.
Eiler first got the chance to make a big play in 2013 when he was 16 years old in eighth grade. Buck is now in high school and is getting another chance to carry the ball.
Friday was the last home football game and senior night for Marcus High School football players.
Eiler had been training for his big shot on Friday night. His teammates even practiced the play. At the beginning of the second quarter, the coach called in the play named appropriately as the Eiler Special.
Eiler made a 15-yard run. It was a huge accomplishment for him and an emotional moment for the team and his parents.
"I think they make me happy when I joined the team this year,” Eiler said. “Practicing with the team after school and how good I am."
“This love and acceptance in this area has helped him with everything else,” said his mom, Mary Beth Buck. “Walking down the halls, he's not in the wheelchair at school anymore. He pushes his wheelchair. But he's not in it. He's walking down the halls.”
When Eiler was in middle school, he got the same opportunity to run the ball. He scored a touchdown on that play. Since then, his teammates have rallied around him.
Football has become an important part of his life. Before the game, Eiler even made a note for each of his teammates and posted it on each of their lockers.
Coach Kevin Adkinson says Eiler put in the time and effort so he could play.
“A lot of times, they spend their lives thinking about what they can't do instead of thinking about what they can do,” the coach said. “And Eiler is a great example of making the most of everything you've been given, and that's what makes me so proud."
Classmates had signs, posters and banners to show their support for Eiler. Players for Trinity even clapped and cheered him on during the play.