Prout Powers Pinckney with Inspiration
September 12, 2019
By Tim Robinson
Special for Second Half
Larry Prout, Jr., who wears Pinckney football jersey number 6, stands 4-foot-8 and 85 pounds.
Or slightly less than one pound for each of the 105 surgeries he’s had in his young life.
He can’t play football — his body is much too fragile, despite a strong desire to play the game — but he makes his mark with the Pirates as an inspiration.
And the Pirates put a spark into a young man who has spent a large portion of his life in hospitals.
“Everyone gets pumped when he’s around,” Pirates senior quarterback Joe Bona says. “How could you not? Larry’s a great kid, an awesome, awesome character, and what he’s gone through should push us, because it’s way harder than what we’ve ever done. I think it pushes and makes us work harder.”
Larry is the sixth of six children of Kathy and Larry Prout Sr., who have made countless trips to emergency rooms when a medical emergency has cropped up in young Larry’s life.
At one point, their living room was a hospital room for Larry, complete with bed and medical equipment as the Prout family rallied around him.
He was born with no skin covering the lower half of his torso, leaving his internal organs exposed.
He spent most of the first 18 months of his life in the hospital, and didn’t breathe on his own until he was 3 years old.
“His first word was ‘lucky,’” Kathy Prout said in a 2016 interview. “It was the craziest word. It’s like a three-legged dog named Lucky, you know? That was his first word, and we would die laughing.”
He was included as much as he could be in his siblings’ hijinks, although he spent much of his time at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. But Larry Jr. became well-known among Wolverines fans during the 2016 season for the inspiration he was providing to the U-M football team, with Bleacher Report referring to him as the “heartbeat of Michigan football” in a 2017 report.
He’s making that level of impact on his favorite high school team now as well.
"Being part of Pinckney and Michigan means a lot," Larry Jr. said. "It’s been really fun, seeing the players and coaches; it’s the same as at Michigan. I love going to the games and sitting on the sidelines before kickoff, and seeing my players and my friends, my best friends, and seeing Coach Jim (Harbaugh) and Coach Rod (Beaton).
Larry is home-schooled because his body isn’t strong enough to allow him to attend school on a regular basis. He takes electives at Pinckney, including photography, and loves being at school, although his parents had to set some limits.
“We found out that every time we dropped him off at school, he would go out and find Rod (Beaton, Pinckney’s football coach),” Kathy said.
“We told him, once a week,” Larry Sr. said. “Rod’s got work to do.”
That may be, but Beaton returns Larry Jr.’s admiration.
“It goes without saying that he’s truly an inspiration,” Beaton says. “I’ve never met a young person with a more positive attitude than Larry. He really does bring it every single day, every time he’s here.”
Larry also has carried the flag during Pinckney's "No Quarter," the pause between the third and fourth quarters where a student picks up a black or red flag, depending on how the Pirates are faring, and runs back and forth in front of the bleachers to rev the Pirates crowd for the fourth quarter.
He practiced at home before carrying the flag in both of Pinckney's games so far this season.
His peers return the love, too.
Last spring, Larry Jr. planned to attend Pinckney’s prom, but had to miss it due to a hospitalization.
When Larry Jr. got out of the hospital, a classmate, Alex Williams, put on her prom dress and with some fellow students put on a prom for Larry.
“We have some outstanding kids here,” Beaton said, “and it goes to speak to what we have in this community. Our kids come from such great households, with parents who raise these kids the right way. They understand what Larry’s situation is, and it uplifts us all, every time he’s out here.”
The same, the Prouts say, goes for Larry.
“I remember I loved school,” Kathy said. “I loved it when my older kids were in school. You get the pencils and the pictures and the new clothes. With Larry, I have anxiety and stress because he wants to fit in and make friends and take six classes when he can only do two or three.”
Including Larry Jr. in activities like the prom and football means a lot to all of the Prouts.
“We have a lot of gratitude, and we don’t know how to show it enough,” Kathy said, ‘We want to show our gratitude to Rod and all of the players because they’ve made Larry feel important, such a part of this Pinckney football team. It’s something we’ll never forget, something Larry will never forget.”
Larry Jr. was a part of the Michigan football team for three seasons, and among his close friends is reserve Buck West, a former Pinckney standout who often is seen at the Prout house watching game shows with Larry Jr.
“I love watching Family Feud and Steve Harvey,” Larry Jr. said. “(The Pirates) are like my brothers, just like Michigan was.”
Larry Jr. got connected to the Michigan team through an organization called Team Impact, which connects youths with life-threatening or chronic illnesses to college football teams.
Dan Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, invited the Prouts to Ford Field when the Patriots played a preseason game there last month and got them passes to be on the field during pregame.
“As I was hanging out, the camera was filming me and they said Team Impact had a surprise for me,” Larry Jr. said. “And the craziest thing is, I see Tom Brady coming up and giving me a fist-bump and a high five. I shook his hand and told him I loved seeing him play. He pointed to my (Michigan) hat and told me to make sure to beat the Buckeyes this season. I told him I would make sure to do that.”
After Brady left, Larry Jr. jumped for joy, no mean feat for a young man who uses a wheelchair for anything but short walks.
“When he gets excited, he jumps,” Kathy said. “He can clear eight inches, which is pretty awesome, because they said he would never walk.”
At Pinckney practice, Larry Jr. hands out encouragement and banters with players who are, in many cases, a foot taller than him.
While he basks in the glow of being part of a team, he contributes to the Pirates something they might not have learned otherwise.
“The lesson I take is that it’s not as bad as what it’s going to be,” senior running back Sal Patierno said. “What we go through, you just think of what he’s gone through, and it makes you want to go harder. Just keep fighting. I know he’s fought harder than any of us.”
“It makes you think,” Bona said. “It makes you work harder.”
“He uplifts us all, every time he’s out here,” Beaton said.
PHOTOS: (Top) Larry Prout Jr. carries the Pinckney "No Quarter" flag in front of the crowd during the Pirates’ Week 2 game at Chelsea. (Middle) Then-senior Pirates quarterback Jack Wurzer spelled out Prout’s name on his helmet in 2017 from bones the players receive for outstanding efforts. (Below) Prout’s friends put on a prom for him after Prout, in purple shirt and tie, missed the school’s event this spring while hospitalized. (Photos courtesy of the Prout family and Tim Robinson.)
Drive for Detroit: Playoff R1 Preview
October 28, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The 42nd MHSAA Football Playoffs begin tonight with most of this season’s 272 qualifiers taking the field across both peninsulas and nine divisions.
And there certainly is an air of familiarity in these first-round matchups.
This week’s Drive for Detroit preview – powered by MI Student Aid – touches on five games of intrigue in every division, including a number of rematches of meetings from earlier this season – or in the case of our top Division 1 contest, a rematch of a league title-deciding game played only a week ago.
Division 1
Rockford (6-3) at Hudsonville (8-1)
There isn’t much to say that hasn’t been over the last week. These teams met seven days ago, with Hudsonville claiming a 14-7 win to create a three-way championship in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red between the Eagles, former lone leader Rockford and Grandville. These two also met in the playoffs the last three seasons; Rockford avenged a one-point Week 9 loss a year ago by beating Hudsonville 21-13 for a District title.
Others that caught my eye: Lapeer (7-2) at Clarkston (7-2), Canton (7-2) at Northville (7-2), Macomb Dakota (6-3) at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (6-3), Dearborn Fordson (8-1) at Detroit Cass Tech (9-0) on Saturday.
Division 2
Traverse City West (6-3) vs. Traverse City Central (8-1) at Thirlby Field
These neighbors will meet at their shared stadium for the first time in the playoffs, and in front of a crowd that could approach 10,000. Central’s 10-8 win over West in Week 3 ended up giving the Trojans’ a one-win edge over the Titans for the Big North Conference championship. West has lost three in a row to Central, and went on this season to fall close to Benton Harbor and then to Coldwater last week. Central’s only defeat was two weeks ago in triple overtime at Birmingham Brother Rice – and this could be close again too with these teams knowing each other so well.
Others that caught my eye: Portage Northern (5-4) at Portage Central (8-1), Flint Carman-Ainsworth (6-3) at Fenton (7-2), Oak Park (6-3) vs. Detroit U-D Jesuit (6-2) at Hazel Park, Birmingham Brother Rice (6-3) at Warren Cousino (8-1).
Division 3
Battle Creek Harper Creek (7-2) 73.222 at Coldwater (7-2)
Coldwater handed Harper Creek its only loss this season in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference – 19-7 in Week 7 – but then watched the Beavers share the league title as the Cardinals finished third. But with a schedule that included five games against teams with winning records and three wins over playoff qualifiers, Coldwater earned the right to host this week as it looks to build on last season’s Division 3 Semifinal run. Harper Creek, meanwhile, is back in the playoffs after going 3-6 a year ago and has secured its best record since 2013.
Others that caught my eye: Zeeland West (7-2) at Grand Rapids Christian (8-1), Zeeland East (6-3) at Byron Center (8-1), St. Joseph (6-3) at Stevensville Lakeshore (6-3), East Lansing (6-3) at DeWitt (8-1).
Division 4
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (7-2) at Detroit Country Day (9-0), Saturday
Successful in many sports, Cranbrook Kingswood hasn’t had the same kind of long-standing championship tradition in football – but has put together a 22-8 record over the last three seasons under coach Joe D’Angelo, who earned most of his 222 career wins at Detroit Country Day from 1977-97. These two met in the District Final a year ago and Country Day won 42-7. The Yellowjackets dominated most of this fall too but have had to work through close wins the last two weeks against Detroit U-D Jesuit and Temperance Bedford.
Others that caught my eye: Allendale (7-2) at Wyoming Kelloggsville (8-1), Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4) at Benton Harbor (9-0), Flint Powers Catholic (5-4) at Lake Fenton (8-1), St. Clair Shores South Lake (7-2) at Marysville (9-0).
Division 5
Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-2) at Lansing Catholic (8-1)
A rematch of a Division 5 Semifinal from last season kicks off opening night, with more familiar faces on the Falcons’ side but offensive weapons of similar skills leading both. Quarterback Gaetano Vallone and running back/previous quarterback David Fox are the recognizable names from last year’s playoff run, while Lansing Catholic quarterback Michael Lynn has stepped in this season to provide similar run/pass dual threat ability. West Catholic is coming off a tough three-point loss to Allendale last week that cost the Falcons an outright O-K Blue title, and they face the prospect of three road games to get back to the Semifinals. Lansing Catholic’s only loss was by a point in Week 4 to rival Portland, which plays on the other side of this District bracket.
Others that caught my eye: Clare (8-1) at Remus Chippewa Hills (8-1), Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) at Freeland (9-0), Buchanan (5-3) 56.069 at Dowagiac (6-3), Algonac (8-1) 81.667 at Detroit Denby (8-1).
Division 6
Watervliet (7-2) at Jackson Lumen Christi (7-2)
Watervliet has scored at a school record-setting pace the last two seasons, averaging 52 points per game in 2015 and 55 this fall – with 30 and 58 in its losses. The Panthers will get the chance to see how that prowess transfers against an opponent that’s seen and contained its share of strong offenses. The Titans have given up just fewer than 17 points per game against a schedule that’s included four playoff teams and a couple more that contended for bids.
Others that caught my eye: Montague (7-2) at Kent City (7-2), Montrose (6-3) at Laingsburg (8-1), Constantine (6-3) at Schoolcraft (9-0), Boyne City (6-3) at Calumet (8-1) on Saturday.
Division 7
Madison Heights Madison (6-3) vs. Detroit Loyola (7-2), Saturday at Hazel Park
Neither of these teams would be a surprise finalist at Ford Field next month; Loyola is a regular on championship weekend and claimed a Detroit Catholic League AA title this fall, while Madison shared the Macomb Area Conference Silver title with teams playing in the Division 3 and Division 4 brackets. The Bulldogs have reached the Semifinals each of the last four seasons, while Madison is seeking its first run that deep since 2007 – but has played in Division 5 and 6 over the last decade.
Others that caught my eye: Gwinn (6-3) at Iron Mountain (7-2), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (7-2) at Ubly (9-0), Springport (7-2) at Concord (7-2), Clinton (6-3) at Sand Creek (8-1).
Division 8
Saginaw Nouvel (6-3) at Breckenridge (9-0)
Breckenridge already has achieved the most incredible turnaround in MHSAA playoff-era history, becoming the first team to from 0-9 (in 2015) to 9-0. The Huskies have accomplished this following a sophomore quarterback who should keep the program rolling forward. Nouvel, meanwhile, has played itself into a sixth playoff berth over the last seven seasons, with a big win over Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart in Week 9 getting the Panthers back in the hunt. The Irish are the only common opponent between the two; Nouvel won 35-7, while Breckenridge won 40-32 but way back in Week 3 as it was just starting to catch stride.
Others that caught my eye: Mendon (7-2) vs. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (8-1) at Bridgman, Pittsford (6-3) at Morenci (6-3), Iron River West Iron County (6-3) at Norway (7-2), Clarkston Everest Collegiate (7-2) at Waterford Our Lady (6-3) on Saturday.
8-Player
Lawrence (8-1) at Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (9-0) at Wyoming Lee
Tri-unity Christian is welcomed to its first playoffs tonight by having to face 2014 champion Lawrence – but should feel pretty good about that match-up after downing the Tigers 53-14 in Week 7. That was Lawrence’s only loss, and it’s beaten two other playoff teams over the last four weeks. But the Tigers must score; their 14 points against the Defenders were the most given up this season by Tri-unity, which is allowing only 4.7 points per game.
Others that caught my eye: Cedarville (6-3) at Engadine (9-0). Owendale-Gagetown (8-1) at New Haven Merritt (9-0).
Second Half’s weekly “Drive for Detroit” previews are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Student Financial Services Bureau located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information, including various student financial assistance programs to help make college more affordable for Michigan students. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 savings programs (MET/MESP) and eight additional aid programs within its Student Scholarships and Grants division. Click for more information and connect with MI Student Aid on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
PHOTO: St. Joseph will kick off its ninth playoff appearance over the last 11 seasons tonight against Stevensville Lakeshore, which beat the Bears 31-12 in Week 4. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)