MaxPreps 2012-13 Male Athlete of the Year: Derrick Henry

It was the year of the multi-sport male prep athlete in 2012-13.

Kohl Stewart of St. Pius X (Houston) was the No. 4 pick in the Major League Baseball Draft and he threw for 8,803 career yards and 87 touchdowns as a starting quarterback. He signed with the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

In Florida, Manatee (Bradenton) quarterback Cord Sandberg earned a full football scholarship to Mississippi State but instead agreed to a $775,000 signing bonus last week from the Philadelphia Phillies, who picked him in the third round.

Then there was Adam Coon, the ultimate three-sport standout from Fowlerville (Mich.). The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end signed a full ride to Michigan, not to play football but as the nation's No. 2 senior wrestler according to intermatwrestle.com. Coon also took second place in discus and shot put at the state Division II track and field championships. 



That's just a sampling of the versatile elite (see more next page).

But all that took a back seat to one-hit wonder Derrick Henry, who obliterated one of the country's most cherished and seemingly insurmountable football records with one astounding senior season.

The rugged 6-3, 240-pound tailback from tiny Yulee (Fla.) rushed a staggering 462 times for 4,261 yards — both state records — to finish his illustrious four-year career with 12,243 yards, the most ever by a high school back.

Henry, who enrolled at Alabama in January, surpassed the 59-year career mark held by Ken Hall, who rushed for 11,232 yards from 1950 to 1953 for Sugarland (Texas).

For his relentless pursuit and ultimate attainment, Henry is the MaxPreps 2012-13 Male Athlete of the Year.

"The numbers don't lie," Yulee coach Bobby Ramsey said. "He finished his career as the No. 1 rusher of all time. That's right where he belongs. He earned all of it."

See 10 amazing facts about Henry and Ken Hall



For seven different decades, thousands of tailbacks chased that mark, but only Henry, nicknamed "Shocka," caught it and mowed it down during a 41-26 Florida 4A first-round home game win over Taylor County.

In vintage Henry form, he broke past two perfectly positioned would-be tacklers, stiff-armed another and sprinted the final 40 yards untouched completing a 52-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes, 16 seconds left in the second quarter that broke the national career rushing yardage record.

He went on to rush a state-record 57 times that night for 485 yards - 20 short of the state mark — and six touchdowns, six of 55 he scored that season. He tacked on almost 1,000 yards to the previous record, meaning it might take another 60 years or so for someone else to break his mark.

"I'm sure someone will break it before too long," Henry said. "But I'm very proud to have my name and my school's name at the top for all the other kids to chase. That means a lot, it really does. … I feel privileged and blessed and thankful. I'm just glad to be a part of history. I think Ken Hall is in a league of his own. I'm just happy my name could be placed up with his."

Going off

It wasn't Henry, but fellow Floridian Kelvin Taylor, who seemed to have the best shot at breaking Hall's record before the season.



But Henry went off early, rushing for nearly 900 yards in his first three games before busting loose for a state-record 510 yards and six touchdowns in a 45-28 win over Jackson in week No. 4.

"I think it hit me then that I had a chance to do this," Henry said.

The following week in a head-to-head showdown with Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.) and Taylor before a national television audience, Henry ran for 362 yards and six more scores in a 42-6 win.

He was on his way.

He rushed for more than 300 yards in eight of his team's 13 games and more than 400 yards four times. He carried the ball more than 30 times on 10 different occasions and at least 40 on six occasions.

A model of consistency, Henry furthered his national record to 47 straight games of rushing for at least 100 yards. Those 47 accounted for every game he played in high school.



With a chiseled physique, 4.37-second speed in the 40-yard-dash and the strength to bench press 360 pounds, Henry was the proverbial man among boys.

"He's an absolute rock," Ramsey said. "He never faltered. Always gave 100 percent. And 100 percent of Derrick is pretty amazing."

Representing Yulee

Beyond the yards and records, Henry offered loyalty and humility, which shed nothing but a bright and positive light on a small town few knew existed before he arrived.

He could have easily been wooed to larger private schools, such as perennial Jacksonville power Bolles, but instead he chose to help the reputation of a relatively new school in a place known as a gas station town to pass through to get to Fernandina Beach.

"When I was in the eighth grade, I took a look at the private schools," Henry said. "I imagined myself there, but I couldn't. This is where I was born and raised. I'd been here since I was a little boy. All the sports I played growing up was right here in Yulee.



"I figured I might as well stay put right here and help to put my town on the map and make something out of it."

That made it all the sweeter when he broke Hall's mark in front of the home crowd.

"I've wanted to do it (at home) because people have been so good to me my entire life here," he said. "Every time I go out on Friday night I feel like I'm protecting (Yulee). I try to represent it the right way. This has always felt like home. I just feel like Yulee is a part of me."

To see the other multi-sport standouts Henry beat out for the coveted year-end award, see the next page:
 {PAGEBREAK} * Junior Budda Baker of Bellevue (Wash.) led the team's perennial national power football team to its fifth-straight state title and 10th in 12 years as a dynamic two-way player. The 5-10, 175-pounder was a first-team Junior MaxPreps All-American as a defensive back but also was the team's premier tailback.

He's the Class of 2014's No. 64 recruit, according to 247sports.com, largely because of his speed, which he showed off in the track season when he won the state 3A 100-meter title (10.77), took third in the long jump and contributed a leg on Bellevue's state-title 4x100 relay.

Oregon, UCLA and Washington are on his short list of top college choices.



* Junior Tony Brown of Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) is rated the No. 14 overall prospect from the Class of 2014 for his football prowess as a cornerback.

The 6-1, 190-pounder has 237 tackles in three seasons as a starter on the varsity team and in the spring he continued a more-than-promising track and field career by winning the Texas 4A 110-meter high hurdles in 13.4 seconds and placing second in the open 100 (10.53). His hurdles best of 13.38 tied for the best mark in the nation this season.

Brown has offers from LSU, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

* Junior Lorenzo Carter of Norcross (Ga.) led the Blue Devils to a pair of AAAAAA titles in a high-profile, ultra-competitive state.

The 6-6, 232-pound linebacker had 136 tackles and 18 sacks to help Norcross go 15-0 and finish No. 3 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings. He's rated the No. 3 player overall for his class by 247Sports.com.

A smooth and strong power forward on the basketball squad, Carter helped his school become the first in the history of the Georgia High School Association to hold both state basketball and football championships the same school year.



* Junior Marlon Humphrey of Hoover (Ala.) is a carbon copy of Brown and is ranked the No. 6 football player overall by 247sports.com after earning first-team Junior All-American honors from MaxPreps. The 6-1, 175-pounder is a cornerback.

He tied Brown for the nation's best 110 hurdles time in the country this season at 13.38 and easily recorded the nation's best 300 hurdles mark at 35.6. The second-best mark was 36.29.

Alabama is among his top five college choices thus far with Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State and South Carolina also in the running.

* Junior Adoree' Jackson of Serra (Gardena, Calif.) led his football and track and field teams to state titles.

As a 5-11, 185-pound defensive back and receiver, Jackson did a little bit of everything with a team-high five interceptions to go with five rushing touchdowns and five receiving scores. He is the nation's No. 18 recruit according to 247sports.com.

On the track, Jackson had the nation's third-best long jump at 25 feet, placed second at state and led two relays to victory as Serra won its first team state crown since 2000. Serra's 4x400 relay team had the top mark in the country (3 minutes, 10.59 seconds) and its 4x100 relay ranked No. 3 (40.49).



* Senior Cody Thomas of Heritage (Colleyville, Texas) signed a National Letter of Intent to Oklahoma after throwing for 4,221 yards, 46 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

The 6-5, 210-pound outfielder hit .482 in the spring with 15 homers and 51 RBIs and was drafted in the 30th round by the New York Yankees.

He would have been drafted earlier but he seemed committed to playing both sports at Oklahoma, where his girlfriend made the cheerleading squad.

Though the two-sport athletes dominated, there were some single-sport athletes to consider as well. See them on the next page.

{PAGEBREAK}10 more single-sport standouts

* Tyler Boyd, a 6-2, 175-pound senior do-everything football player, led Clairton (Pa.) to a fourth-straight state title and continued the nation's best win streak at 63 games. Boyd, a wide receiver and defensive back, played all over the field including special teams and scored more than 50 touchdowns. The Pitt signee was a MaxPreps first-team All-American as a defensive back.



* Max Browne, a 6-5, 220-pound senior quarterback from Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) finished off a fabulous career by throwing for 4,546 yards and 49 touchdowns. It propelled him to throw for a state-record 12,953 career yards and 882 completions to go along with 146 touchdowns. Browne was a three-year letterman in basketball but decided to focus all attentions on football his senior season. He signed with USC.

* MaxPreps National Baseball Player of the Year Jack Flaherty, of Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), went 13-0 on the mound with a 0.63 ERA against some of the nation's best competition in Southern California. He had 112 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 89 innings and allowed 40 hits. He also hit .360 with seven extra-base hits.

* C lint Frazier, a 5-11, 190-pound outfielder from Loganville (Ga.), backed up a remarkable junior season when he hit 24 homers in 118 at-bats for the state AAAA champions by slugging 17 more and hitting .485 his senior campaign. That earned him the No. 5 selection in the MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians, who inked hm to a $3.5 million signing bonus.

* Aaron Gordon of Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), a 6-8, 220-pound power forward, led the Monarchs to a third-straight Northern California title. It was impressive considering the Monarchs didn't have another Division I player on their roster and they had to replace four starters from the 2012 state championship team. Gordon averaged 21.6 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.1 blocks per game and was named the MVP of the McDonald's All-American game. He signed to Arizona and was featured in the Beyond the X Series.

* Jalen Hurd, a 6-3, 208-pound junior running break from Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.) broke a state record with 3,357 yards rushing and 43 touchdowns. The Tennessee commit did it despite being slowed by injuries. He was a MaxPreps first-team All American.

* MaxPreps National Basketball Player of the Year Jabari Parker operated under a microscope during his four years at Simeon (Chicago), but finished off a stellar career  by averaging 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He led Simeon to a 30-3 record, a fourth-straight 4A state title and a No. 3 national ranking by MaxPreps. The 6-8, 225-pound small forward and Duke signee finished his career with a 118-15 record.



* Laquon Treadwell, a 6-3, 195-pound senior receiver and defensive back from Crete-Monee (Crete, Ill.), led his team to a state championship by hauling in 81 passes for 1,424 yards and 16 touchdowns. He rushed for seven more scores and intercepted six passes. He was a MaxPreps first-team All-American and signed with Ole Miss.

* Thomas Tyner, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior running back from Aloha (Beaverton, Ore.) set a single-season state record by rushing for 3,415 yards. Like Browne, Tyner could have made a run at the national athlete of the year had he run track like previous seasons. Tyner has run a 10.30-second 100 meters but opted to focus on football in the spring. He also set a single-game state rushing record, going for 644 yards and 10 touchdowns in an 84-63 win over Lakeridge on Sept. 15.

* Andrew Wiggins of Huntington Prep (W. Va.), a 6-7, 215-pound wing, was the undisputed top basketball recruit in the country and backed it up by averaging 23.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, leading the Express to a 30-3 record. Wiggins waited until the final day of the national signing period to sign with Kansas.

Who did we miss? Comment below, email Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com or follow him on Twitter (@MitchMashMax)