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They are educational advisers and nurses and industrial actual property brokers. They educate math and information quail hunts and run logging corporations.
But about a decade in the past, they performed highschool soccer in Florida, the place that they had the privilege of getting stiff-armed, trampled and outraced by Derrick Henry, who continued to deal with tacklers as minor nuisances on the University of Alabama and with the Tennessee Titans.
As a teenager, Henry was solely barely smaller than his listed N.F.L. dimensions (6-foot-3, 247 kilos), and completed his taking part in days at Yulee High, north of Jacksonville, with 12,124 speeding yards, the nationwide report. The sport he broke it, towards Taylor County, he ran for 482 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“You think you’ve done good — you’re the No. 1 tackler, have the most interceptions,” Davis Helm, a former Taylor County security, stated, “and then somebody shoots off fireworks with you dragging behind him. That’s hurt, man.”
Helm and lots of of Henry’s prep friends have been desirous to share tales of what it was prefer to play towards the most effective, largest, strongest and quickest participant they’ve seen.
Henry, after lacking almost three months with a fractured foot, will return Saturday for top-seeded Tennessee’s A.F.C. divisional-round playoff matchup with Cincinnati — and people friends shall be watching. Here is what they stated about him:
Interview excerpts have been edited for readability.
West Nassau quarterback Reagan Wright, a monetary guide, performed soccer as a boy towards Henry: At that age, you’d see a bunch of pudgy, 150-pound youngsters stepping off the bus. The second we acquired to center college and he stepped off, you’re like, “Who’s that guy?”
West Nassau cornerback Brett Woodle (5-9, 160), a tutorial adviser on the University of North Florida, additionally performed towards Henry in center college: They pitched it to him and let him do his factor. He stiff-armed me into the grime and my dad was like, “Maybe you should grow up a little bit.”
West Nassau linebacker Brandon Mattox (5-10, 210) teaches math there: He doesn’t have arms. He has legs that he calls arms.
Trinity Christian Academy linebacker Hughston Higdon (5-11, 190) is a searching information: He’d line up at tailback and be larger than his linemen.
Mattox: Before the Yulee sport, my girlfriend will get there early as a result of she is aware of the stands are gonna be packed. I’m within the locker room getting my thoughts proper and he or she is aware of higher to name me earlier than a sport, however she calls me and says, “I need you to meet this N.F.L. player sitting in front of me. It’s going to boost you.” I stand up to the stands and go, “Where is he?” I needed a image or an autograph. She factors a few rows down, and I am going, “That’s Derrick Henry, their running back.” She goes, “Oh my gosh.”
West Nassau defensive finish/outdoors linebacker Dalton Delano (5-11, 175) is a nurse: When we performed Yulee, it wasn’t a huge examine week. It was snap the ball to Derrick, he’d run proper or run left, and may we cease him or not? And we undoubtedly couldn’t.
Taylor County proper guard Blaine Brenner works at a constructing provide firm: Our defensive coaches have been telling our guys, “Do not, for whatever reason, hit this guy above the waist because he will turn you into a poster.” Those are the precise phrases.
The Bolles School defensive sort out Michael Cassidy (6-1, 265) is a industrial actual property dealer: Our nostril guard would just about bounce into the legs of the middle so a few guys would fall on high of him. That would take out one to a few guys each play. If we have been fortunate sufficient to take out a middle or a guard, that would depart some room for the tackles and linebackers. As lengthy as you possibly can take out his legs or journey him up a little bit and two different guys bounce on his again, you have been OK.
Helm (6-4, 180) works at a constructing provide firm: When he stiff-armed me within the face masks, I had actually by no means been hit that arduous. All I noticed was a flash. My earpiece got here out and his arm didn’t even contact my pores and skin and my eye swelled shut. I acquired up and I couldn’t see out of my proper eye.
Woodle: As the bottom nook, my job was to run that man down as a result of I’ve acquired an angle on him. By the time he had gotten to midfield, he was coasting, so I acquired inside 5 yards of him, considering, “I’m going to get this guy.” I’m unsure if he heard footsteps, however he turned and checked out me after which hit one other gear that I’ve by no means seen earlier than or since.
Interlachen linebacker Dijon Green (5-9, 185) is learning for his nursing boards: One of our safeties on the time acquired caught within the open discipline towards him. He didn’t say this within the teaching room, however he undoubtedly instructed us that he missed a sort out on objective as a result of he didn’t wish to get run over. He was one in all our hardest-hitting safeties, and he’s like, “I don’t want any of that guy.”
Mattox: We ready by attacking the only leg as a substitute of his hips — making an attempt to assault the close to thigh, the closest thigh — so when he tried to throw his stiff arm, you’d attempt to slap his wrist and make him miss your helmet or shoulder simply sufficient to the place you may assault his thigh. We did that for quarter-hour each day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Woodle: I went to attempt to sort out him one time and he stiff-armed me useless in my face. He had a maintain of my face masks. I felt like I used to be getting punched by a boxer.
Taylor County free security Will Tuten (6-2, 180) operates a family-run logging firm: My senior yr, I feel he had 305 or 310, and he broke the single-season Florida report or one thing. I feel I had three or 4 solo tackles. You know, I say tackles — I pressured him out of bounds. Anyway, they introduced it afterward on the PA system. I lookup, my coronary heart’s damaged, and this dude’s taking off in a jog and doing again flips down the sphere in full pads.
Woodle: I see Derrick run to my facet of the sphere, and the primary thought that involves my head was, “I’ve gotta go one on one with this dude.” I’m considering he’s going to attempt to shake me. He simply put his shoulder in my chest and ran me over. It knocked the breath out of me. I put that play on a spotlight tape. I assumed it might present faculties that I used to be powerful sufficient to take a hit.
Helm: I used to be like, “I’m gonna put this dude out of the game.” I made a decision I used to be going to place my helmet proper into his shin and attempt to break his leg. So I rolled into that pile and I hit him with the freaking crown of my helmet. He checked out me and stated, “Don’t do that again.” I used to be like, “Uhh.”
Mattox: I had a solo sort out to inform my son about: In the backfield, it was a missed block. I assumed actually extremely of myself till 10 minutes later. It was me and him at midfield. I learn the play completely. I used to be within the gap. Next factor I do know, my helmet’s within the grime. His hand is on high of the helmet. By the time I lookup, he’s strolling into the tip zone 60 yards later.
Brenner: He was in all probability the world’s greatest further level blocker. He would simply get a operating begin and time the snap up and be over the middle’s head when he snapped the ball.
Helm: The method our coaches hyped us up was, “They’ve got fireworks over there. If he runs for over 300-something or 400 yards, they’re going to blow fireworks.” And we’re like, “We’re not going to let him. They’re gonna have to put the fireworks in the locker room.” And rattling if he didn’t. They blew these fireworks, and so they have been brilliant.
Helm: My senior yr, we went up there and so they have been going to go for two on the finish to beat us. I used to be rolled up on what can be the weak facet and he at all times ran to the sturdy facet. He checked out my stringy [expletive] and nodded to the quarterback. I stated, all proper, he’s operating this manner. Dude, I ran on the market within the flat, grabbed a maintain of him and prayed that another person was coming.
Tuten: When I get up, I type of take into consideration him. I’ve a bunch of shoulder aches from soccer, and I’m positive he was the wrongdoer.
Mattox: My junior yr, we misplaced to Yulee by a level. That low season going into my senior yr, after I lifted weights, I might end each set, it doesn’t matter what the raise was, by doing further units at 240 kilos as a result of that’s how a lot Derrick weighed.
Tuten: I had a nice angle on him one time — I really tackled him from behind — and I bear in mind his foot catching me below the chin as I slid down his [expletive] tree trunk legs. It unbuckled my chin strap and knocked my high clip off.
Helm: If you hit him too excessive, he’d stiff arm you. If you hit him within the midsection, his legs and his hips, there’s no technique to do it. You hit him too low, his legs damage you. The solely factor I might do — I used to be lengthy, 6-4 and 180 kilos — was simply bounce on him and seize and cling on. Because you’re not going to knock him backward. My dad instructed me, “You’re going to think about this later on when he goes pro.” I’m like, “Neh.”
Cassidy: One of my outdated profile footage on Facebook was me making an attempt to wrap up his ankles. I’m fairly positive he acquired away.
Fernandina Beach linebacker Alex Vrancic (6-2, 190) is a captain within the United States Marine Corps: Maybe that’s one of the simplest ways to do not forget that you performed Derrick Henry and also you made it out alive: You’re not on social media, you weren’t on “SportsCenter.” My declare to fame was staying off his spotlight reel.
Mattox: My son, he’s 7, and he performs Madden with him. And each time he stiff-arms someone, he says, “Daddy, is that what Derrick did to you?” I’m like, “Oh gosh, son. I’ve got to live with that the rest of my life.”
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