Cohasset senior returns to the field after near leg amputation

COHASSET – Steve Budrick hadn't encountered a scene like it in 16 years as the Cohasset High athletic trainer. Never in his four decades of experience across stops at Hingham, Rockland, Weymouth and North Quincy, either.

One nightmare play two years ago nearly cost Henry Burke his high school athletic career, and his right leg.

The heavy-duty brace now serves the pain-free Cohasset High senior as a memory of his road back to the lacrosse turf this spring.

“When we were first coming out here, I wasn’t crying, but I was definitely tearing up a bit," Burke said. "Being dressed in the uniform again and walking out with the team was one of the best feelings ever.”

Burke, formerly a cornerback and receiver on the Cohasset High football team , leaped up to contest a pass in front of the Skippers' sideline on a cold Friday night in Norwell in 2022, his junior year.

“He landed on one leg and his whole body continued to twist, but his cleat got caught in the turf," Budrick said.

Burke, who was in his first full-time go of varsity football, tumbled to the ground and unleashed a blood-curdling scream that longtime head coach Pete Afanasiw likened to an episode only seen in movies.

“I get nauseous just speaking about it," Afanasiw said.

Budrick, the first to tend to Burke, turned to Afanasiw in the aftermath and said, "I have his femur in my hand," the coach recalled.

“His lower leg was probably three inches away from his upper leg, right at the knee joint," Budrick said.

“I can’t explain the pain. I just immediately collapsed," Burke said. "I went into shock, and I remember saying hi to football friends and (trying to be) normal while the trainer is holding my knee in place.”

Burke tore his ACL, fractured his tibia and dislocated his knee, all while Budrick held his leg in place to avert further damage. The game, which hadn't yet reached halftime, was paused for nearly an hour and Burke was cautiously loaded into an ambulance. The injury occurred at approximately 7 p.m. and doctors couldn’t feel a pulse in his leg all night – until 2:30 in the morning.

Burke's leg was on the verge of amputation.

“(The doctors) weren’t going to wait much longer," Budrick said. "His leg was slowly dying, if they didn’t have that circulation.”

Burke, who is from a family steeped in a love for lacrosse, was out for nine months and missed a total of five sports seasons (football and swimming, too) upon his return this spring.

A video production class at Cohasset High piqued Burke's interest during the recovery and personal training period. He began to film school events like the prom, on top of football and lacrosse games, as a way to stay involved. Burke also made highlight mixtapes for his teammates, which he posts on his Twitter account, @HenryBurkeFilms .

More: The MIAA spring power rankings are out. See where South Shore high schools stand

“Life can take you in different directions," Cohasset boys lacrosse coach and athletic director Steve Rotondi said. “You could see how heartbroken he was (while injured), but I think he attacked it in such a positive way. Some kids shut down; he found a lot of positives in it. I’m proud of him.”

He will attend college in the fall to pursue a career in media and filmmaking.

“(The injury) opened up so many opportunities for me," Burke said.

His focus right now, though, is squarely on Cohasset's lacrosse run to a repeat Division 4 title. His brothers, David and Josh; sister, Kyle; and mother, Anne, all played at Cohasset before him. David Burke was a senior on the program's 2018 state title team, and Kyle won two collegiate National Championships at the University of Gettysburg, where Josh Burke now plays football. Burke's father, David, had a collegiate lacrosse career, too, at UMass.

It's Henry's turn.

Burke is the face off, get off player on a Cohasset team that's the sixth-ranked team in the first release of the MIAA's Division 4 power rankings, and chasing its third title in six years.

“He’s one of those kids – whatever he works at, he does the best at," Budrick said. "We’re all very happy he’s able to return.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Cohasset senior returns to the field after near leg amputation