Family hopeful as Sweet Home junior begins therapy
Crash injures All-WNY football star
Deshanaro D. Morris, a key player on the state champion Sweet Home High School varsity football team, has been unable to walk or move his legs since a traffic accident Wednesday in Amherst.
Deshanaro, a 16-year-old junior from west Amherst, was injured at about 1:20 a. m. when a friend’s sport utility vehicle spun out of control during a snowstorm on North Forest Road near Main Street, crashed into a telephone pole and slid into a ditch.
“He has severe injuries to his upper spine. He can feel you touching him, but he is not able to move his legs on his own,” said his mother, Andrea Morris.
“Hopefully, if everything goes right and everything heals, he will be able to move his legs on his own,” she told The Buffalo News on Monday.
Deshanaro was in the back seat with another teenager, who suffered a broken foot, according to La-La Munn, Deshanaro’s older sister and a senior at Sweet Home.
He underwent back surgery Wednesday, several hours after the crash. He began therapy Monday in Erie County Medical Center, where he is listed in fair condition.
A running back and a linebacker who was a standout on both offense and defense, Deshanaro helped lead Sweet Home to a 13-0 record and its first state football title.
In the final game of the season in late November, Sweet Home won the State Class A Championship by defeating Section II (Albany area) champion Burnt Hills, 35-28, before an estimated 4,000 fans in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. In that game, Deshanaro ran for 98 yards on 24 carries, had 10 tackles and an interception.
For the season, he racked up 127 tackles and set a single season school record by gaining 1,503 rushing yards and 264 yards receiving. Overall, he scored 25 touchdowns, including five in the Section VI Class A title game in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Selected for the All-Western New York team at the end of the season, he was a finalist for the Connolly Cup, which is awarded to the ou tstanding player in the area.
“I hope everyone prays for my brother,” his sister said. “Even if he can’t play football again, we just want him to walk because he is a good kid and he deserves that.
“He’s just happy to be here. He’s happy to be alive.”
Deshanaro and three of his friends were coming home from a teen event at Club Infinity in Clarence when the crash occurred, his sister said.
Afterward, a front-seat passenger tried to get help from nearby homes.
“They wanted to cover Deshanaro with a blanket because he was cold, and no one would answer their doors. That’s bad,” La-La said.
“He was pulled out of the vehicle by a friend because they didn’t know if it was going to blow up. He was laying in the cold for 10 or 15 minutes.”
Deshanaro also suffered a gash across his forehead that required stitches, according to family members.
Morris said her son’s condition as of Monday was improving.
“He’s doing better. He started his therapy today. They sat him up in a chair, and they stretched out his legs. He’s in good spirits. He’s a strong young man,” his mother said. “He’s got a good heart. He told me they can take the game from him, but they can’t take it out of his heart. He plans on walking again.”
