ALL-ARKANSAS TEAM

Breaking the mold

Henry has dad’s size, unexpected dexterity

Pulaski Academy tight end Hunter Henry (82) is ranked the No. 52 recruiting prospect in the country by one rating service and is the same size as his father, Mark, an all-Southwest Conference offensive lineman at Arkansas in 1991. Earlier this year, Henry ended the recruiting process when he committed to the Razorbacks.
Pulaski Academy tight end Hunter Henry (82) is ranked the No. 52 recruiting prospect in the country by one rating service and is the same size as his father, Mark, an all-Southwest Conference offensive lineman at Arkansas in 1991. Earlier this year, Henry ended the recruiting process when he committed to the Razorbacks.

— Little Rock pastor Mark Henry said he has an idea where his son will be in 10 years.

Surprisingly, it’s not the place where many who have closely tracked the playing career of Hunter Henry might expect.

It’s not the NFL.

“I see Hunter working, selfishly, in the Little Rock or Northwest Arkansas area,raising his family and living out the faith in the values that are important to him and important to us,” Mark Henry said earlier this week. “Hunter and I and our family, we don’t count on football.There’s just bigger things in life than football.”

But as far as Arkansas high school football is concerned, there is nothing bigger this fall than Henry, a 6-5, 240-pound a senior tight end at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock.

Henry is among the most heralded recruiting prizes the state has produced in years and a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette preseason All-Arkansas team.

Henry, recruiting gurus might say, is the total package.

CBS Sports Network analyst Tom Lemming rates Henry as the No. 52 recruiting prospect in the country this year.

“He’s got great size, tremendous hands, speed and production,“ Lemming said. “He’s the prototypical tight end. ... I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t end up in the NFL. His athletic ability and size is there.”

Early on, Henry appeared destined to follow the position path of his father.

Mark Henry was 6-5, 260 pounds as a senior at Little Rock Central in 1986, when he helped the Tigers win the Class AAAA state championship. But Henry started every game during his career at center or offensive tackle.

His son, at essentially the same size, is a pass-catching machine (109 receptions the past two years), nimble enough to split out the majority of the time in Pulaski Academy’s fun-and-gun scheme.

“This is a dream offense for a tight end,” Hunter Henry said. “I love it. I love trying to get the ball, getting in open space and trying to make plays.”

Mark Henry said pride initially runs though his mind when he watches his son play.

Then, he said, it’s reality.

“Hunter’s a great athlete and has a unique combination of size, speed and agility,” Henry said. “Obviously, I didn’t have that.”

Mark Henry was still good enough to earn a spot on the Democrat-Gazette Team of the Decade for the 1980s and to sign with Arkansas. but his recruitment was nothing like his son’s.

Hunter Henry orally committed to Arkansas on July 19 over scholarship offers from more than 20 other schools, including glamour teams Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame and Stanford.

Bruins Coach Kevin Kelley said he believes Henry is the best tight end prospect to emerge from Arkansas since Keith Jackson of Little Rock Parkview, who signed with Oklahoma in 1984. Jackson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and was a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection.

Henry said he’s honored to be mentioned in the same breath with a player of that caliber, but added he’s focused on staying grounded.

“My dad, he’s definitely always on me,” said Henry, who will be Pulaski Academy’s deep snapper this fall. “He’s always trying to keep me humble because, I mean, this stuff can get to your head.”

Mark Henry was an All-Southwest Conference center as a senior at Arkansas in 1991, but he passed on a chance to play in the NFL to enter the ministry.

Henry was pastor at Saline Community Church in Benton before moving his family, including Hunter, then about 5, to the Atlanta area to lead the congregation at North Metro Church in Marietta.

Hunter Henry returned to central Arkansas in the ninth grade when his father became teaching pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock.

Henry enrolled at Pulaski Academy and was good enough to start four games as a freshman at left offensive tackle.

Mark Henry said he envisioned his son eventually landing at defensive end because of his agility, but Kelley got offensive. Literally.

“I don’t think his dad was too happy when I moved him,” Kelley said with a laugh.

Kelley said he believed Henry would be a natural at tight end after watching how gracefully he moved playing varsity basketball as a freshman.

“When he played football, I thought he was going to be a good left tackle for us,” Kelley said. “But when I watched him play basketball, I thought this kid’s not a left tackle.”

Not even close.

Henry, who had grown from 6-2 to about 6-5 before the 2010 season, caught 45 passes for 748 yards and 9 touchdowns to make the Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team.

“I really give Coach Kelley the credit for the move to tight end,” Mark Henry said.“At the time, I really didn’t see that.”

Hunter Henry became an even bigger force last fall, catching 64 passes for 1,091 yards and 16 touchdowns to earn Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas honors.

The Bruins finished 14-0, claimed the Class 4A state championship and a No. 1 overall ranking. Pulaski Academy put the finishing touches on its greatest season with a 63-28 victory over 7-4A rival Malvern in the state championship game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

Henry had 6 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game. The second touchdown catch, a 30-yard jaw-dropper with two seconds remaining in the first half, pushed Pulaski Academy’s lead to 43-7. Stretching his frame horizontally, Henry used his fingertips to cradle the ball when the nose was at about a 90-degree angle.

“He’s a heck of a ballplayer,” said Malvern Coach John Fogleman, also a family friend. “That catch he made before halftime was incredible. Obviously, it didn’t make a difference in the game, but, shoot, it was a dagger to our spirits.”

It was the kind of catch you could see in the SEC, even the NFL.

Kelley said he believes Henry will eventually reach at least 255 pounds at Arkansas, retaining the same hands and speed on a much more chiseled frame.

Kelley then sees Henry, maybe in 10 years, at another place.

“If he keeps everything together, he’ll be playing in the NFL,” Kelley said. “He’ll be good in the NFL.”

Hunter Henry file SCHOOL Pulaski Academy POSITION Tight end CLASS Senior HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-5, 240 pounds 40 SPEED 4.8 seconds NOTEWORTHY Has caught 109 passes the past two seasons, helping the Bruins reach the Class 4A title game as a sophomore and finish 14-0 and win the state title last fall. ... Member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Super Sophomore team. ... Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas as a junior. ... Rated the country’s No. 52 recruiting prospect, according to CBS Sports Network analyst Tom Lemming.

... Orally committed to Arkansas on July 19 over scholarship offers from more than 20 other schools. ... Father, Mark, was an All-Southwest Conference offensive lineman at Arkansas. ... Will deep snap this fall for Pulaski Academy. ... Has a 3.5 grade-point average and scored 24 on the ACT. Plans to major in business at Arkansas.

Sports, Pages 21 on 08/26/2012

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