By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore High School student Kyle Lasher doesn’t let his lack of hearing impair his performance on and off the field. (Photo credit: Rich Banick Photography)
Kyle Lasher was born profoundly deaf, but he doesn’t look at himself as having any type of disability. He just has to work longer and harder to succeed, and that he does.
Son of Tony and Rose Lasher, Kyle is entering his third season as a member of the Dunmore High School football team. He is a tailback on offense and nose guard on defense. He also plays basketball and runs track for the Bucks. He is an honor student who loves science.
In his earlier childhood years, he played for the Dunmore Little League, Dunmore Biddy Basketball League and the Dunmore Oilers Midget Football team. He never worried about being deaf. He just wanted to play and succeed.
And he has done both.
The 17-year-old is a member of the Health Careers Club at Dunmore High School and plans on attending college upon his graduation. He wants to go to Gallaudet University, a college for deaf students in Washington, D.C., where he would like to play football there and study education. His goal is to become a teacher and coach.
Kyle is part of a Dunmore backfield that include stalwarts Colin Holmes, Garrett Murray and Pat Reese. Kyle rushed for 500 yards last season while averaging over seven yards per carry. He expects to see more action this season at both the tailback and nose guard positions.
Modest but with a quiet confidence, Kyle’s answers to questions are well thought out. He said his parents taught him to never give up. Kyle said Dunmore’s head football coach Jack Henzes has also been a very positive influence in his life.
“Coach Henzes teaches us so much more than just football. You have to be a good student, well behaved, a good person,” Kyle said. “Coach Henzes tells us how important it is to work hard in the off season to prepare for the season.”
Hard working in nature, Kyle said he never thinks of his handicap when it comes to sports. He never looked at it as an issue and never thought it would stop him. The Dunmore junior is looking forward to the upcoming football season.
“We need to do our best and improve every day. We need to forget about our loss in the state championship game and move on,” said Kyle. “It was a tough loss, but we have to move on from it.”
Kyle has no problem communicating with the Dunmore coaching staff. He has a certified sign language interpreter with him at all times while playing and practicing with the football team and other sports. Nora Foley is his sign language interpreter for sports. David Posner is his educational interpreter for academic subjects.
“He has to work very hard for both sports and academics. He has to work a lot harder than most kids. He has to put in extra time and effort,” said his mom, Rose. “He is very much in tune with what he wants to accomplish in sports and in school. His football coaches go above and beyond every day for Kyle. He would not be able to do it without their help. The coaching staff is great to him. We are so very proud of Kyle and all his accomplishments.”