Cole Henderson's college-ready athletic ability in track and football got its kickstart when he stopped playing basketball.
Photo by Mark Guthrel
A defensive specialist with great speed,
Cole Henderson was a good enough basketball player as a freshman to play for the sophomore team at
Pekin (Ill.).
However, his entire football and track career took a huge leap forward when he gave up basketball after ninth grade. That enabled him to lift weights the past two years and gain much-needed weight and strength during the months that he previously had devoted to basketball.
Football coach Doug Nutter told MaxPreps, "Going into his sophomore year, he didn't have a lot of weight on him - 145 or 150 pounds - so we didn't throw him in until the third game. From then on he was making plays right and left for us."
Henderson has put on plenty of muscle recently, yet hasmaintained his prolific speed.
Photo by Mark Guthrel
Henderson, a safety and wide receiver, left his mark in the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs when he led the Dragons with 12 tackles in a victory over Moline, which had a talented 230-pound fullback. He estimates that he brought the big guy down at least five times.
Following a junior year in which he amassed 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns while making 67 tackles and three interceptions, he still was a lightweight. So he hit the weights extra hard and gained 20 pounds of muscle, putting him at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds entering the track season.
See the entire Cole Henderson photo galleryHenderson recalled, "At the end of weight lifting, coach Nutter talked to me about goals. I told him I was really scared that I wasn't going to be as fast, be real sluggish at the beginning of track season. I started off panicked."
However, the Pekin star had nothing to fear because he won indoor state titles in the 60- and 200-meter dashes and lost the long jump crown by a mere one-quarter of an inch. Outdoors, he captured three Class 3A state titles, scoring all 31 of the Dragons' points for a third-place team finish.
"It definitely opened up my eyes," Henderson said.
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