Though just a junior,
Derrick Henry became the all-time leading rusher in Northeast Florida over the weekend with his best performance of the season.
Derrick Henry, Yulee
Photo courtesy of Jeff Keeton/JVK Photography
The powerful - but extremely fast - 6-foot-3, 230-pound running back carried 29 times for 308 yards and four touchdowns as
Yulee (Fla.) nipped Taylor County (Perry, Fla.), 42-41, during the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
With his third varsity year not yet completed, the dynamic Henry now has rushed for 7,646 yards. The previous record was 7,479 yards by Ciatrick Fason of
Fletcher (Neptune Beach, Fla.).
Though it was the first time Henry cracked the 300-yard barrier this year, he did it three times as a sophomore and twice as a freshman. Most of his games this year have been over 200 yards.
Yulee coach Bobby Ramsay told MaxPreps, "You figure it would happen, but this kid broke a record (in three years) that it took a kid four years to set. You knew he was good (as a freshman). It's so hard to think a kid can be this good, but he's got an opportunity to be a great one."
Henry runs 40 yards in a blazing 4.37 seconds, bench presses 330 pounds and has a vertical jump of 39 inches.
When he breaks into the open, Ramsay says, "It's all over but the crying. He gets compared a lot to Eric Dickerson. He has kind of a gliding style."
