Pszenny an inspiration for Pennsville

Everything changed for Kyle Pszenny and the Pennsville football team on the awful night of June 7.

One thing stayed the same: Pszenny still is the guy who brings out the best in his teammates.

Pszenny won't play his senior season for the Eagles. The affable young man regarded as "everybody's best friend" remains hospitalized from injuries suffered when he was struck by an automobile while riding his skateboard.

But the best leaders and best people can inspire others from a distance. The Eagles don't need to see Pszenny's smile or hear his voice or notice his enthusiasm to feel his presence.

"We do it for him now," Pennsville senior wide receiver Jeremy Boucher said. "We know he would do anything to be out on this football field with us. Football was his life.

"The fact that he can't play his last year of high school football, it makes us take in every moment we have out on this field and give it everything that we have."

Pennsville coach Ryan Wood said he "never had a player who worked harder or smiled more" than Pszenny.

Pennsville quarterback Matt Widmaier said Pszenny was "always happy" and strove to "always make the atmosphere a little better" - in practice, during games, just hanging out.

"He would do anything for you," said Widmaier, who fought back tears in describing Pszenny and his influence on the Eagles.

Pennsville senior Josh Van Blarcom said Pszenny "played his heart out" and demanded the same of his teammates and friends - but in a positive way.

"He never complained, always was pushing us to be better, always saying, 'You can do it,' " Van Blarcom said.

Pszenny caught 45 passes for 538 yards and four touchdowns as a junior for an 8-3 team that won the West Jersey Football League's Classic Division with a 5-0 mark. He was part of a loaded senior class that had set its sights on a South Jersey Group 1 title.

"Nobody wanted to win a state championship more than him," Widmaier said. "We had those guys a few years ahead of us that set all those records and he always used to say, 'We can do the one thing they never did. We can win a state championship.' "

Widmaier said Pszenny was a crafty receiver who knew when to break off his pattern and work his way back to his quarterback.

"He would always do what was best for somebody else," Widmaier said.

The players and coaches, the school community, and the close-knit little town of Pennsville have rallied around Pszenny and his family.

The team will wear shirts under its uniforms with "7 - #kylestrong" on the back. The players and others in the community use the hashtag again and again to raise continued awareness of Pszenny's fight to recover from severe injuries.

Pszenny suffered a brain injury, broken bones, and a dislocated neck. He spent nearly three weeks in a coma. He is continuing his rehabilitation at A.I. duPont Children's Hospital in Wilmington.

His teammates visit him regularly. Widmaier was on his way there the other day after a scrimmage at Triton.

"Kyle's the type of kid, he's everybody's best friend," Boucher said. "You either love him or you don't know who he is."

Wood and other adults understand that Pszenny's situation works two ways with regard to this football season.

In one sense, the Eagles want to win for their friend. In another, his struggle has put things in perspective and reminded them that football is nothing more than a game.

"I think some of these guys have been forced to grow up a little faster than they normally would have," Wood said.

The players are determined to make the most of this season as a tribute to Pszenny. Whether that translates into another Classic Division title and a deep run in the state tournament is pretty much beside the point.

Boucher, who caught 10 touchdown passes as a junior, noted that Pszenny's biggest contribution to the cause was as a terrific teammate.

The accident didn't alter that.

"He was the best [teammate]," Boucher said. "Always smiling, always with a happy attitude. If things were going bad, he was the guy who lifted everybody's spirits up."

Widmaier has new spikes inscribed with "KP" on the back and "KP 7" on the inside of the tongue.

The soft-spoken quarterback who passed for 1,881 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior considered asking Wood if he could wear No. 7 this season.

He thought better of it.

"I want him to wear it again," Widmaier said of Pszenny.

@PhilAnastasia

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