Moncton High School waterboy inspires his football teammates

In between the lines of loud hard-hitting rough-and-tumble Moncton High School football players, the team’s waterboy, 14-year-old Jacob Leblanc, has united and inspired the Purple Knights team like no one else on the roster.

“I think it is more of a quiet tone setter,” said coach John Allanach. “He helps getting the equipment set up and is just kind of a motivational story to have around.”

Leblanc was born with only one leg and hip and relies on crutches to get around. Allanach says the way he effortlessly hikes heavy water bottles across the field is an inspiration that quenches much more than his teammates’ thirst.

“He just sends us a message every day like ‘suck it up buttercup’ by the way he toughs through it,” Allanach said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He just sends us a message every day like 'suck it up buttercup' by the way he toughs through it," Allanach said.

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Leblanc, a Grade 9 student, started volunteering with the team a few years ago. His brother, Sam, is a defensive player on the team and says he looks up to his little brother.

“Honestly to see someone hopping around on one leg, it’s pretty hard not to get inspired.”

“Even if you are handicapped it doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to do stuff,” Jacob said, in between lugging bottles to his teammates at practice this past week.

“I feel it’s pretty cool that they think that I inspire them cause they are big athletes yet I am just a one-legged kid trying to do sports,” said Jacob, who dreams of one day playing on the team.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I feel it's pretty cool that they think that I inspire them cause they are big athletes yet I am just a one-legged kid trying to do sports," said Jacob, who dreams of one day playing on the team.

“Going into his Grade 9 year because he was eligible he attended the tryout,” Allanach said. “He went through probably two hours of paces and at the end of the night he just self evaluated and he said ‘my hip can’t do this.'”

But to Jacob defeat is not about falling down, it’s refusing to get back up. He says he plans to try out for the team again next year — once he’s a little bigger and stronger.

“I will try one more year and if it doesn’t work that year I will move on to another sport.”

But even if he never gets to don broad shoulder pads and a jersey like the players on the field, Purple Knights captain Cole Estabrooks says he’s still a critical member of the team.

“Jacob is just as important as everybody else on this team. He’s an inspiration to everybody,” Estabrooks said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Jacob is just as important as everybody else on this team. He's an inspiration to everybody," Estabrooks said.