Panther player, interpreter carry long-time relationship to football field

Panther player, interpreter carry long-time relationship to football field

Posted: Saturday, October 9, 2010

By GARY STALLARD/The Lufkin Daily News

He doesn’t hear the sounds of pads smacking in the middle of the line he’s
attacking, or the grunts from an opposing player with whom he’s made
contact. He’s not privy to the sounds that make high school football the
sensory overload it always is: The band playing the Lufkin fight song, the
cheerleaders chanting, “LP!” or the crowd roaring at its full-throated
loudest.

But Lufkin Panther sophomore defensive end Demontrai Lewis, deaf since
birth, doesn’t need to hear any of it.

He can feel it all.

“It’s hard to describe it,” Lewis said through his interpreter, Rene
Heintschel. “I can feel some of what’s going on around me. I can feel the
vibrations, and I can tell when there’s someone near me.

“I can feel it through my feet. I can tell when the crowd is really excited
or whether everyone is quiet.”

Heintschel is the other part of Lewis’ story. A sign-language interpreter
for Lufkin ISD, Heintschel has known the young man, and served as his
interpreter, since he was three years old.

“I had him as a student when he was three,” Heintschel said. “We’d walk
around school together, and he’d hold my pinkie with his tiny little hand.
Now, he’s just 15 years old, 6’3” and 210 pounds and my whole hand fits
inside of his.”

The bond they’ve formed over the past decade-plus has grown into much more
than that of student/teacher. Heintschel describes her extra-large sidekick
in ways completely unrelated to the game.

“He’s always ‘Yes, ma’am’ or ‘No, ma’am’ and ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’,”
Heintschel said. “If we’re walking together, he always holds the door open
for me while signing, ‘Ladies first.’ If I’m carrying a load of books, he’ll
walk up and take them from me and carry them wherever I’m going. He’s an
absolute gentleman at all times.”

Their relationship has made easier Lewis’ transition to high-school
football. When coaches want to relay information or signals to their player
on the field, it’s Heintschel standing on the sidelines employing sign
language to get the message across.

“She’s my ears,” Lewis said.” She helps the coaches talk to me, and helps me
talk to the coaches. She helps me learn the game faster. She’ll tell me
things even the coaches won’t say to me, and it’s to help me play better
when I’m out on the field.”

And at times, Heintschel’s message comes straight from Heintschel — based on
her personal knowledge of the youngster.

“Basically I’m telling him the plays the coach is sending in,” Heintschel
said, “but sometimes I can tell from Demontrai’s body language when he’s
feeling down or frustrated, and I try to ‘coach’ him up. I’ll tell him, ‘Hit
that guy, make sure he knows by the end of the game who Demontrai Lewis
is.’ That usually gets him pretty fired up.”

Heintschel isn’t the only member of Lewis’ support group. During
Wednesday’s weight-room session, Lewis’ teammates lined up to help him
through the reps on the inclined bench and leg press. They tap his shoulder
to get his attention and offer big smiles and fist bumps as encouragement.
For his personal role models, Lewis cites another pair of Panther defenders.

“I watch (teammates) Darrell Kelly-Thomas and Jackson Randle and see what
they do, and I try to do the same things,” Lewis said. “They’re great role
models.”

There’s also the group following him on Friday nights all the way from
Trinity, where Lewis resides. His entire family, there to see No. 96
building a name for himself on the gridiron.

Those family members are also the reason Lewis declines to participate in
any form of trash talking — through sign language or otherwise. In fact,
Lewis said he’s glad he doesn’t have to hear some of the stuff he knows is
going on during any given game.

“Yes, that’s a benefit,” Lewis said. “But I don’t act that way for one
reason: My whole family comes to watch me play. I have to watch my body
language and attitude on the field because I don’t want to embarrass any of
them.”

Lewis’ grandmother, Beverly English, said her grandson has been playing
football since he was old enough to keep his helmet on straight.

“He played with the Pee-Wee leagues,” English said. “It wasn’t hard for him
at all, and I guess it’s because I come from a football family. I have five
brothers; his dad, his mom — everyone in his family has played some kind of
sport. I think this just comes naturally for Demontrai.

“I never doubted he’d play high school football. He’s never been a kid who
used his situation as any kind of excuse not to do what he’s capable of
doing.”

Despite living in Trinity, Lewis is able to attend and play for the Pack
because Lufkin ISD is the regional day school program for the deaf,
servicing students from Trinity to Livingston, from Colmesneil to San
Augustine. Liz Speer, Deaf Education Teacher for the district, said Lewis’
family is the biggest reason he’s able to hit the field on Friday nights.

“We are the school district that can provide for their needs,” Speer said.
“Their home campuses don’t have the same capabilities, so these kids are
able to bus into Lufkin for school.

“But their school districts only provide transportation during regular
school hours. For any extracurricular activity, the family is responsible
for the transportation. Demontrai’s family supported his decision to play
football, and one of them is here every day to take him home after
practice.”

The up-and-coming 10th grader is making a name for himself as a tough,
intelligent player with unlimited potential. Heintschel said Lewis is
getting better at a more rapid rate than others because he’s not distracted;
that Lewis is able to stay completely focused on everything in front of him
by developing a very keen sense of “field vision.”

“Very much so,” Lewis agreed. “I don’t play around, and I don’t want
anything distracting me. I try and stay focused on my own assignments, and I
don’t worry about whatever’s going on around me.”

Another Lufkin coach stated plainly, “He’s a great story now, but he’s going
to be an even better one in a couple of years. This young man can play
football.”

Told that his coaches are predicting bigger and better things down the road
for their remarkable young player, Lewis simply shrugged off the praise.

“I hope so, but that’s later,” Lewis said through Heintschel. “I want a
state championship this year.

“I want that ring now.”

Gary Stallard’s e-mail address is [email protected].

Source:

http://lufkindailynews.com/sports/article_fe3ca5c6-d425-11df-a2db-001cc4c002e0.html

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