Kris Silbaugh may have been born with only one hand, but he's never let it stop him from doing what he wants. Silbaugh, a wide receiver and cornerback for the Cambridge Springs High School football team in Pennsylvania, has actually overcome his disability to the point where it may no longer be fair to even consider him at a disadvantage. Silbaugh, per USA Today, recently became Cambridge Springs' all-time leader in receiving yards (915) when he hauled in a 43-yard touchdown in a dominant win over nearby Seagertown, breaking the previous record of 912-yards set in 1998.
"I knew I was close to it last year, but I had forgotten about it," Silbaugh said, via Jason Jordan of USA Today. "I was shocked; one of my coaches told me at halftime and I was just like, 'Oh wow!' It definitely makes me feel good that I was able to do that, but I always believe in myself."
Silbaugh, who said he and his family don't know what he wasn't born with a left hand, said that he never wanted to let it stop him, never wanted other people to look at him and wonder if he could keep up, to look at him and feel bad.
"I never wanted anyone to pity me," Silbaugh said, via Jordan. "I hate that feeling."
When it came to football, Silbaugh felt fear over what other people would think, but always had his heart set on being a pass-catcher. Justin Grubbs, an assistant-turned-head coach just this season, said that once Silbaugh started to see the field, shock over his ability to even play turned to awe over the key plays he kept making.
"It went from the guys being excited to see if he could actually do something to them counting on him to make plays," said Grubbs, per Jordan. "It's just amazing to see what he's able to do. He makes catches that you wouldn't believe. He's a guy that defenses have to have a game plan for and he's just so fast."
Clocking in at 4.4, Silbaugh can run about as fast as many five-star college recruits and even NFL players. While he indicated that he's already drawn interest from some schools, he said his focus remains on the current Cambridge season and even the potential of breaking another record or two.
"I definitely want all of the records I can get," said Silbaugh, who is 19 catches away from breaking the school's all-time receptions record. "It's crazy that, at first, no one knew me and now I get the best guy in the secondary all the time. I still feel like I have to prove people wrong because there's always someone in the stands that hasn't seen me play. I know that people will always be shocked at what I'm able to do because I only have one hand, but my goal is to be known as a dominant player, period."
