DESOTO — The first time James Proché touched the ball this season, he took it to the end zone. The punt return was 59 yards, but the DeSoto senior probably ran twice that far as he reversed field twice and zigzagged through defenders.
“I’m not going to lie,” Proché said. “I was really tired.”
But it was a satisfying exhaustion for Proché, who traveled a long, winding and scary road before the punt landed in his arms last month. The receiver had been diagnosed with acute kidney failure, spent two days in an intensive-care unit, and then sat in a hospital bed for more than a week counting his blessings.
“I didn’t realize how serious it was until after I got out of the hospital,” Proché said. “How close to death I was. I never really grasped it until afterward.”
Proché (5-11, 180), who transferred from Prime Prep and is orally committed to SMU, returned to the field Sept. 26. In the last three games, he’s caught seven passes for 172 yards (24.6 yards per reception). He said he feels fully recovered as top-ranked DeSoto (7-0, 3-0 District 8-6A) prepares for Thursday’s matchup with neighboring powerhouse Cedar Hill (6-1, 3-0), the No. 5 team in the area 6A rankings.
The game will be played 10 weeks after Proché, on the fourth day of fall practices, felt weak and fell to his knees on the field. He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with acute kidney failure, which can occur without warning in otherwise healthy people and can be fatal if not treated immediately.
“I always trusted in God and knew that He was going to heal James,” said Tasha Avery, Proché’s mom. “But it was frightening because he appeared to be so healthy.”
Proché was healthy, but doctors told his family that his condition started with dehydration and that use of the common pain reliever Aleve might have contributed to the acute kidney failure. Proché thought his ab-domominal pain was the result of intense workouts, but it might’ve been related to dehydration, and Aleve is part of a group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that the National Kidney Foundation says can increase the risk of sudden kidney failure.
“It was very scary once the doctors and our trainers broke it down for me,” DeSoto coach Claude Mathis said. “When you see a kid who’s worked that hard, and then all of a sudden you see him on a dialysis machine, that’s hard to take.”
After kidney dialysis and two days in intensive care, the news was mostly good. The kidney failure was acute, not chronic, so kidney function could return to normal. Proché would still be able to play football at SMU, where he plans to major in finance and prepare for a career in investment banking.
The bad news was that Proché, who couldn’t wait to prove himself against the best teams in the state, would be waiting a month to start practicing again.
“He was distraught,” Avery said. “It was almost like his world was ending. It’s just that he’s so passionate about football and the team.”
Proché caught 40 passes for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for Prime Prep, the charter school co-founded by former NFL star Deion Sanders. He played several years for Sanders’ Truth select youth teams, and Mathis gives credit to Sanders for being a positive influence in the life of Proché, who has three younger siblings and has been raised by his mother and grandmother.
“James is probably one of the most mature kids that has come into our program,” Mathis said. “Well-spoken, well-mannered. When you go watch him at lunchtime, he’s doing homework. That’s what James is doing. There’s no fake in him.”
Proché played for Red Oak as a freshman and then two seasons with Prime Prep, but he always wanted to play for DeSoto. It was frustrating to sit out of fall practices and miss games, he said, but watching from the sidelines helped him understand the offense. Instead of running full speed through receiving routes, he could watch plays develop.
“As bad as I wanted to play,” he said, “it was good for me.”
Proché is now paying more attention to nutrition, and he has cut out sweet tea and juices. He had already given up soda four years ago, and now he sips water all day.
“Whenever Coach Mathis has a bottle of water,” Proché said with a smile, “he shoves it in my face.”
With good reason. Although Proché is feeling well and looking great on the field, he’s closely monitored by the DeSoto trainers. Nobody knows how close Proché was to suffering long-term kidney damage or something worse, but it was scary.
For Proché, a deeply religious 18-year-old who carries a Bible around with him, the close call has added to a motivation that extends beyond scoring touchdowns and winning games. He said he knows God’s purpose for him includes football but isn’t about football.
“God’s No. 1,” Proché said. “I pray every morning that I’m able to spread His word in some type of way. I believe He put me at the level I’m at in football in order to spread His word.”
Nationally televised (again)
The DeSoto-Cedar Hill game, which is 7 p.m. Thursday at DeSoto’s Eagle Stadium, will be televised live on ESPN2. The Battle of Beltline was also nationally televised in 2009, when an ESPN audience watched Cedar Hill rally from a 21-point deficit to win 44-41. DeSoto has won all three matchups since then.
On Twitter: @mattwixon
