By Hema Easley, The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

THIELLS, N.Y. - Courtney Burrell raised his face to the sky and beamed.  On his perfect day, the sun shone brilliantly and a breeze cooled the air. Around him, a sea of red and white jerseys and helmets surged as members of the North Rockland football team surrounded him in anticipation of an announcement.

For as long as he can remember, Burrell, 14, longed to play football. But as a developmentally disabled teen with cerebral palsy, it seemed unlikely that would happen.

But through efforts by his family, supporters at Jawonio, where he receives services, and the North Rockland football coach, Burrell last week became the newest member of the Red Raiders. He attends the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is in the North Rockland High School building.

Dressed in a borrowed team jersey, Burrell, leaned back in his wheelchair Friday as Coach Joe Casarella introduced him to the rest of the Red Raiders. Behind him stood his mother, Joey Jenkins; Michelle Brown, his service coordinator at Jawonio; Chris Burrell, his brother; and Terry Jenkins, his uncle. All were at the football field to share his big day.

"He loves football. He's been coming here for years to watch games," Casarella, who has been coach for 44 years, told the other 124 players. "And now he's old enough to be in high school and a member of the team."

Because of his disability, Burrell will not play on the field. But he will be a constant figure at team meetings, practice sessions and games, where he will bring water to his teammates in devices attached to his wheelchair. He will also help the coach with scheduling and other office work.

"I'm beyond glad, I'm ecstatic. He's been waiting for this a long time," said his mother, Joey Jenkins, a single mom. "A lot of his time is spent with women. Now he can be with men, experience male bonding, learn responsibility and team spirit."

Over the years Jenkins watched her son be a bystander when other kids played sports. He sated his his passion by watching football, baseball and basketball on ESPN, she recalled, never losing his good spirits.

A few attempts to have him join a Pee Wee team were unsuccessful. Nobody took her or him seriously, she said.

Then one day in the spring, while discussing Burrell's progress with Brown, his service coordinator, Jenkins mentioned his love for sports.

"She said, 'He really wants to play football, but that's not possible,' " Brown recalled. "I said, 'It is possible.' "

Brown, whose sons have played football for North Rockland, contacted Coach Joe Casarella and the two worked out a plan to have Burrell join the team.

"Oh, he was delighted. He screamed" when he heard the news, Brown said, remembering his reaction.

On Thursday night, hours before the team was to gather, he was nervous and unbearably excited, his mother said. He couldn't sleep until 3 a.m.

He was up bright and early and at the field by 9 a.m. When the players broke for a drink, he was by their side with water.

"Hurry up, drink it up," he urged them.

Burrell's family members and friends described him as a cheerful, upbeat teen.

"He's always smiling, always cheerful. I'm proud he's wearing my jersey," said Derick Macaulay, a senior from West Haverstraw who lent Burrell his jersey for the first day of practice. "He's a big inspiration to all of us. He's here despite his disability and he's cheering us on."

Cerebral palsy, which affects 764,000 children and adults in the United States to varying degrees, is a chronic condition that affects body movements and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to the brain before, during or after childbirth. About 8,000 children are diagnosed each year.

Casarella said Burrell's teammates could learn a thing or two from him.

"A lot of kids don't live up to their potential," Casarella said. "When they see people who work hard just to get up, it sets a good example."

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