By Dave Krider
MaxPreps.com
Melissa Henderson was the first junior ever named Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, but she isn't expected to defend that title during her senior year at Berkner High in Richardson, Texas.
"I'll probably be traveling a lot," Henderson told MaxPreps. "I'm afraid of risking injury. I feel it would be wrong just to come to a couple of (high school) games."
The 18-year-old forward says her major goal as a senior is to again make the U.S. Soccer Federation under-20 team and play in the World Cup tournament next year in Chile. Therefore, she will concentrate on playing for her club team, the Dallas Sting.
Henderson calls the Gatorade award "awesome. I didn't really understand how big it was at first."
The 5-8, 140-pound superstar had 24 goals and 12 assists for the Berkner Rams despite missing six games while competing for U.S. under-17 and under-20 teams. As a sophomore she had 38 goals and 18 assists. In 47 career games she scored a school-record 66 goals and had 45 assists (No. 2 at Berkner). Had she not spent many minutes on defense (sweeper), her scoring record would be much higher.
Berkner coach Chuck Brandon describes Henderson as "extremely fast and strong. She has the ability to read the game and think two or three plays ahead. I'd never seen a girl who can change the point of attack off the dribble. I haven't seen anyone who can keep up with her. Even double-teams don't work. She can play any position and wants to win more than anything. I've got 272 wins and I've never seen anyone who compares to her.
"Her load with the national team took her away a lot. Whenever we could get her, we were happy to get her."
Brandon has many vivid memories of "Melissa Moments."
- Some boys from Dallas Lake Highlands were razzing her about the national team and "trying to get into her head," Brandon recalled. "They said she wasn't that good. A smile came across her face. At that point, there was no stopping her. She took one halfway down the field (to score), ran past the boys and shook her fist at them. She had two or three goals and it went from being a close game to the game being over."
- On another occasion he "saw her free-kick - it had to be 60 yards - and it just barely missed being a goal."
- Brandon points out that Henderson is no soft touch as a sweeper, either. He noted, "Against the state champions, she knocked two balls off the post."
Henderson, who has been playing soccer since age four, credits her love for the game to her brother Jason, who is five years older, and her father, Kelly, who coached her as a youngster.
"I just loved everything about it - running, scoring," she pointed out. "There was nothing I didn't like. It was pretty easy. My dad helped me with a few things and was my first coach."
She calls Jason her idol. "I always thought he was awesome," she said. "He was really quick and always doing those weird moves that would totally fool me. He made me start thinking a little faster because we'd play keep-a-way."
Henderson is surprisingly strong, though she never seriously has lifted weights. She has created her own local legend by threatening to get someone in a headlock. She and Jason have wrestled since they were very young.
"I'm not going to lie," Melissa said. "This past year - my brother never will admit this - I got him in a headlock and he almost passed out. His face got red, so I let him out."
She first reached the national limelight as a sophomore, playing for the Dallas Texans, who won the under-17 championship at the Disney Soccer Showcase in Orlando, Fla. She scored four goals in five games.
That same year she scored all three goals as the Texans blanked the Dallas Sting, 3-0, to win the State Cup championship.
Last summer she scored three goals in a 4-0 victory over the Michigan Hawks during the national championships in Frisco, Texas. She also scored both of her team's goals during a 3-2 loss to California power Eagles SC in the national championship game.
With the under-20 national team, she scored two goals in a 3-2 exhibition victory over the Leeds Ladies during a tour of England.
She - and her teammates from the Texans - will continue to play for coach Kenny Medina this year, but under the banner of the Dallas Sting. Medina says, "She is enjoyable as heck to coach. She has a great attitude toward life in general and the game. I look at personality, physical ability, technical and tactical awareness and she excels in every one of them. She does things with the ball and you just go `wow!!' ''
Though it's not really necessary, Medina knows how to push all of Henderson's buttons to get maximum effort from her. "If you make her angry, it's over," he says seriously. "A coach told his kids, `Don't be scared. She's no big deal.' Before you could blink, it was 3-0.
"I'd say, `Melissa, she (an opponent) is eating your lunch. We need a sub,' just to fire her up."
Henderson acknowledges a burning competitiveness. "I love to be challenged," she confesses. "I don't know how to explain it. It pushes me. I love that (Medina's challenges). I'd go and score and ask, `Is that good enough?' ''
Though she has at times played basketball and run track at Berkner, she will concentrate this year on her grades and off-the-field activities. She carries a 3.6 GPA with English being her favorite subject. She is uncertain of her major next year when she attends the University of Notre Dame on scholarship.
Henderson also is a member of the Berkner National Honor Society, the student council and serves as senior class secretary. Outside of school, she helps coach younger soccer players and is a member of Young Life.
She enjoys Christian and country music and scary movies. She adds, "I love style and clothes, but I hate shopping. I always have to get everything in one day, because I don't want to come back."
The Texas teenager may have to do her one-stop shopping out of town in the future, because she appears headed for soccer superstardom. "I see her playing for the full national team," Medina predicts. "I think she is going to be a household name in this country."
Football Notes
* A.J. Green had an All-American performance as Summerville (S.C.) defeated Goose Creek, 45-26, before a crowd of 7,500. The 6-4 senior snared 10 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns and also caused a key fumble with a jarring tackle while doubling at corner back. Legendary coach John McKissick, who turned 81 earlier in the week, continued to increase his incredible national record with victory No. 548.
* Jace Johnson fired eight touchdown passes - two short of the national record - as Bethel (Shawnee, Okla.) raced past Wellston, 54-14. The 6-2, 165-pounder completed 15-of-23 passes for 336 yards.Indian Hills (Cincinnati, Ohio) junior Bo Cordell completed 26-of-28 passes for 320 yards and six touchdowns - all in the first half - of a 62-0 rout of city rival Mariemont.
* Junior defensive end C.J. Carrall had 16 tackles, three sacks and forced two fumbles (returning one for a 38-yard touchdown) as Fitzgerald (Warren, Mich.) edged Swartz Creek, 20-17.Alex Matthews passed for 555 yards and seven touchdowns, but Shelby County (Shelbyville, Ky.) still lost a wild shootout, 57-54, to Louisville Manual.
* Tackle is his normal position, but Rob Osborne also is mighty hard to stop at fullback. The 280-pound senior helped Clarksburg (Md.) nip Wootton (Rockville), 13-7, by carrying 22 times for 112 yards - including the winning touchdown. Despite his size, Osborne runs 40 yards in an excellent 4.8 seconds.
* Santa Ana Mater Dei is looking more and more like the top power in California. The Monarchs battered highly-regarded Huntington Beach Edison, 42-14. Linebacker Robert Mojica knocked out UCLA-bound quarterback Nick Crissman with a huge hit less than two minutes into the game.
* Van, Texas senior Jermie Calhoun is one of the nation's premier running backs, but he continues to play quarterback because the No. 1 signal caller is out with an injury. It's obviously working well, however, because he ran for 331 yards and six touchdowns and passed for 94 yards during a 47-22 victory over Kemp.
* Turning to Kentucky, Louisville St. Xavier defeated longtime city opponent Trinity, 24-15, before a huge crowd of 37,500.In Kansas, Wichita East was upset, 28-6, by city foe Kapaun Mount Carmel. East's brilliant junior running back, Bryce Brown, carried 35 times for 155 yards, but he lost the ball five times on fumbles.
* Robert Griffin III, a 6-3, 195-pound senior quarterback from Copperas Cove, Texas who is a threat running and passing, has made a commitment to the University of Houston.Michigan has received a commitment from Kenny Demens, a linebacker and tight end from Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.).
Football Coaching Milestones
* Gary Korhonen, age 67, became the winningest coach in Illinois with his 301st victory as Oak Lawn Richards blanked Evergreen Park, 44-0.Jesse Parker, age 68, won his 300th game as Gilbert, Ariz., defeated Phoenix Horizon, 21-12. Parker, who has won four state championships, is the third coach in Arizona to hit that magic number.
* Notching their 200th victories were Butch Pederson, West Branch (Iowa); Jim Heinz, Evangelical Christian (Cordova, Tenn.); Danny Adams, Winfield (Ala.); and Ron Cohen, Washington (Philadelphia, Pa.). The 64-year-old Cohen celebrated by giving the game ball to his 89-year-old mother, Ethel, leading a rendition of the school's fight song and then dancing with his mother.
Volleyball Notes
* Assumption (Louisville, Ky.) defeated host Chicago Mother McAuley in surprisingly easy fashion, 25-11, 25-15, to win the prestigious Nike Challenge for the eighth time in the last 12 years. Senior outside hitter Kaitlynn James - headed for the University of Nebraska - paced the Rockets with 13 kills and two blocks.
Assumption defeated Illinois power Joliet Catholic Academy, 23-25, 25-21, 25-17 in the semifinals. Kelly Murphy, the No. 1-ranked player in the country, dominated with 22 kills for the losers.
* Volleyball also is very big in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mount Notre Dame (15-1) reversed an earlier five-game loss to Mother of Mercy (16-1) with a marathon victory, 31-29, 25-19, 18-25, 25-27, 15-9, before an overflow crowd of 1,100. Rachael Adams, a 6-2 senior, led the winners with 31 kills and made only five errors on attempted kills. Missy Harpenau paced the losers with 16 kills and 21 digs.
* Manassas Osbourn Park setter Helen Theisen set a Virginia state record with her 1,586th career assist during a match against Woodbridge Hylton. Officials stopped the match and awarded her a commemorative game ball during a short ceremony.
Basketball Notes
* American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) standout Eloy Vargas has made a commitment to the University of Florida. The 6-10, 215-pound Dominican Republic native averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds as a junior and was highly recruited at the Division I level.Duke has received a commitment from 6-8 Reno (Nev.) High senior Olek Czyz, who has a 40-inch vertical jump.
* Other recent commitments were made by 6-8 Steve Tchiengang, Montverde (Fla.) Academy, to Vanderbilt; 6-9 Andrew Brummer, Rosemount (Minn.), to Iowa after switching from Minnesota; and 6-8 James Watson, Stringtown (Okla.), to Washington State.
* Kyle Caudill is a potential star of the future. He stands 6-10 «, wears a size 18 shoe and is just entering his freshman year at Brea Olinda (Brea, Calif.), which has been a girls basketball power over the years. He just turned 14 in May and is an "A" student. Sounds like a recruiter's dream.
Cross Country Notes
* Riverbank (Calif.) senior German Fernandez ran a sizzling 14:42 for a 40-second victory in the featured boys race at the annual Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Crater (Central Point, Ore.) won the team title with 167 points. In the featured girls division, Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) senior twins Nadya and Nastia Bishton placed 1-2 in 17:29 and 17:31, respectively. The team title went to Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) with 108 points. Rancho Buena Vista (Vista, Calif.) - with five freshmen among its top seven - placed a surprising second with 128 points.
* Nicole Hood won the girls title in 17:56.45 and paced Carondelet (Concord, Calif.) to the team championship with 69 points during the Nike Pre-Nationals in Portland, Ore. The boys title went to Jonathan Lafler of Tahoma (Kent, Wash.), who was clocked in 15:26.55. Seattle (Wash.) Prep captured the team championship with 100 points.
* St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) senior Brandon Jarrett ran an outstanding 15:03 to win the Jersey Shore Cougar Invitational in Colts Neck, N.J. He won by 26 seconds and missed Craig Forys' record by just five seconds. Christine Smith of Unionville (Kennett Square, Pa.) claimed the girls title in 18:45.
* National contenders emerged at the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn. Rob Finnerty of Burnsville (Minn.) won the key boys race in 15:58 despite rain and very strong winds. Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines, Iowa) sophomore Katie Flood showed she also is a national contender by winning the girls crown in 17:57, 36 seconds ahead of the runner-up and just 11 seconds off the course record. West (Greeley, Colo.) and Wayzata (Minn.) were upset team champions in the girls and boys divisions, respectively.
* In Rhode Island, East Greenwich defeated Warwick Bishop Hendricken, 20-35. Hendricken had not lost a dual meet since 1978, covering an estimated 250 meets. Hendricken took first place, but East Greenwich had the next five finishers.
Soccer Notes
* Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) defeated Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Mo.), 2-1, to win the McDonald's Division during the third annual Quincy (Ill.) Soccer Classic. Rockhurst junior midfielder Alex Sweetin was named MVP.Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) nipped Latin (Charlotte, N.C.) and St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) by identical 1-0 margins to win the Showcase Division.
* In the Pepsi Division, Reitz Memorial (Evansville, Ind.) raised its record to 14-0-2 with a 3-2 finals victory over host Quincy. Senior forward Andrew Fuchs earned MVP honors for the champs.The Brine Division champion was Glendale (Springfield, Mo.), which nipped Richwoods (Peoria, Ill.), 1-1 on penalty kicks (6-5). Sophomore forward Will Palmer of Glendale was named MVP.
Potpourri
* Martinsville rallied from five shots down to win its state-record 10th Indiana girls golf championship with 623 - 19 strokes ahead of the second-place team. The medalist title went to Indianapolis Brebeuf standout Sophie Hayashi with 146 and a two-hole playoff victory over Carmel's Milena Savich.Two-time Cy Young Award winner Bret Saberhagen has resigned after three years as baseball coach at Calabasas (Calif.).
* Top seed Kevin King (Peachtree City, Ga.) defeated No. 4 seed Walker Kehrer (Pacific Palisades, Calif.), 6-3, 6-1, to win the boys 18 title at the Mike Agassi "No Quit" Tennis Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. Both are juniors.In the girls 18 division, unseeded Arianna Colffer (Corona, Calif.) defeated No. 5 seed Kaitlyn Christian (Orange, Calif.), 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.