Amputee Kicker Helps Lead Team To HS Football Playoffs

Polk County takes to the field for tonight's game against Kingston. The Wildcats from Benton have a record that's 10-and-0. And throughout that season, there's been one player who's overcome a major challenge.

"You know, god has a special plan for me if he's kept me alive this long," says Serge Foster.

You wouldn't know it from the way Serge Foster kicks and runs that he's lost a leg, and is walking with a prosthesis.  And even more remarkable--he's a kicker and defensive end for the team.

"In the beginning of the season, the coach didn't know what I was capable of doing, and I just kinda started kicking around because I was always good at kicking and with the prosthetic it's a lot harder than it looks," he says.

Foster broke his leg while playing football back in April of last year.  The injury was so bad, his leg wouldn't heal, and he faced a choice of either keeping the leg and having it become infected, or to have it amputated.

He chose amputation, but that hasn't stopped his passion on the field.

Polk County High football coach Derrick Davis says, "you know, he's worked very hard at it, before his accident.  And you know, he struggled there a little bit."

But Davis says Foster is quite the kicker.

"He's a pretty good kicker now, especially from the guys that we have come through here," Davis says.  He tells us the school doesn't have a soccer team, which can limit the amount of kickers.

Foster says football has become his re-hab.  He still walks with a slight limp, but the game has forced him to go further.

"If I didn't have football, D'd still be on the basic part of just walking and running," Foster says.  "What football does is that it pushes you, and you think you can't do it, you give it that extra 10%, that 50%, and you just push yourself."

Davis says, "it's probably limited him a little bit on his distance, but we're not asking him to do any field goals.  if he can get us some extra points, that's all we're asking him to do."

"It might take me a little more, it might be harder for me, but at the end, I'm doing the exact same thing that other people are," says Foster.