Football
By Mary Jane Souder
Dick Beck remembers it well.
Justis Henley – then just a ninth grader – standing on the sidelines of North Penn football games, charting every defensive play for the coaches.
“How many ninth graders who don’t play at North Penn – he’s playing ninth grade football – would stand on the sidelines during the games and help the coaches out,” the Knights’ coach said. “Nobody wants to do that, and he came in and volunteered and enjoyed doing that and was very helpful to us.
“Right then I knew this kid had what it took. I always knew he could play athletically. He always had great ball skills and was a hard worker and had a good frame and all.”
An impact player since he stepped onto the field as a sophomore, Henley’s high school football career has been filled with highlight reel plays.
Whether it was turning a short pass into an electrifying touchdown run or outdueling a defender for a 50-50 ball, the North Penn senior – a three-year starter - created magic on the gridiron on both sides of the football.
“I would put him and Ricky Johns at 1 and 1A, and I’m not sure I’d put him behind Ricky,” Beck said of a wide receiver duo that created havoc for opponents. “He was statistically off the charts.”
As a senior, Henley caught 51 passes for 923 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 18 yards a reception. He also ran for 372 yards and five touchdowns, averaging12 yards a carry, and when pressed into duty at quarterback, he threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns. All told, Henley accounted for 21 touchdowns on offense, and he was equally effective on defense at safety, earning first team all-league honors.
“He’s physical,” Beck said. “His ball skills going after the ball – he’s a great 50-50 guy, so with jump balls against taller receivers, he can compete against guys that are in the 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 range.”
The Knights were 34-7 during Henley’s three years in the starting lineup with three consecutive conference titles and a District One 6A title and a trip to the state semifinals on the team’s resume last year.
Henley walks away from his high school football career with few regrets, although he would like to undo the Knights’ season-ending loss to Garnet Valley in the District One 6A quarterfinals. But it’s not the wins and losses that matter most to the senior captain.
“That’s going to be something that sits in the back of my head for a while,” he said of the disappointing ending. “I probably will never forget it, but I enjoyed every moment of my high school career with my teammates - who were my brothers - and the coaching staff.
“Coach Beck has been a great influence in my life. He’s probably the best coach I ever had by far and one of the most important adults in my life. I wouldn’t take anything back.”
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It was Beck who saw something in Henley – a lifelong quarterback - that suggested he would excel at wide receiver.
“He could do so many things at quarterback, but I thought his best position would be wide receiver when it came to offense,” Beck said.
The veteran coach was right.
“I was definitely a little upset about it,” Henley said of his initial response. “I always wanted to play quarterback – that’s always been my position, and that’s what I like most.
“As time went along and coach Beck moved me to receiver, I knew he was only doing what was best for me, getting me on the field the fastest. It obviously ended up working out really well. If I had played quarterback – I don’t know if I’d be where I am now.”
Where Henley is now is in the fold of the University of Delaware, choosing to take his talents to the Colonial Athletic Association school over Army and Air Force. He is penciled in to play cornerback.
“I kind of like being on the dark side on defense,” Henley said. “I like making plays on defense that kind of upset the offense.
“I like being the bad guy in the stadium – picking off the quarterback or making a big hit. I just enjoy it.”
The football field is the only place where Henley might be considered a bad guy. And as impressive as Henley is on the gridiron, he is equally impressive – according to his coach - off the field.
“He’s a great kid in the hallway for the younger kids to look up to,” Beck said. “He’s a kid who’s never in trouble, always going to class.
“He’s a very good student and has always done well in school. He’s not only a good student, he’s a hard working student. All the things you’re looking for in a student-athlete.”
“I always try to set the bar high,” Henley said. “My mom and dad raised me well to be the best person I can possibly be, so I just try to go out there every day and make a difference – do the right things and hopefully make the world a better place.”
What sets Henley apart from everyone else, according to Beck, is his work ethic.
He has a tremendous passion for playing football,” the Knights’ coach said. “He’s one of the guys that really pushed us to do more in the offseason when it came to 7-on-7s during winter and spring, going to tournaments and stuff. He really wanted us to put a team together because he just likes playing. He likes competing, he loves the game.”
As a sophomore, Henley earned the starting nod at safety and wide receiver. After a stellar junior season that saw him accumulate close to a thousand receiving yards, the pieces began to fall in place for Henley to realize his lifelong dream of playing Division One football. He grew up with Ohio State – the alma mater of his mother as well as numerous aunts and uncles – at the top of his college list.
“Since all of them were from Akron, Ohio, I grew up watching Ohio State on TV and loving them,” Henley said. “I always wanted to play for Ohio State.
“I thought individually and as a team we had a good year last year, and putting together my highlight tape, I though maybe I really had a chance to play Division One football. I thought maybe FBS schools – that was always my dream.”
Henley had offers from a pair of FBS schools – Army and Air Force, but neither felt quite right.
“I strongly considered both because they’re both high level FBS college football programs, and I always did want to play big-time college football,” he said. “I knew I could get that at both Army and Air Force, but the military side of things – I don’t think that was the best fit for me, so I was iffy about it.
“Delaware came along, and I started to like them a lot. I thought it was the perfect fit for me.”
On Dec. 20, Henley signed a letter of intent to accept a football scholarship to play for the Blue Hens
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Henley – who says he grew up with a football in his crib - got his first taste of competitive football when he was six years old playing for the Fox Rok Ravens in Northeast Philadelphia.
The first time he touched the football on offense, Henley took it in for a touchdown.
“I just knew it was going to be my favorite sport from there,” he said. “When I was younger, I didn’t really work on my craft much.
“I just went out, practiced with the team and played in games. It just kind of came naturally to me.“
In sixth grade, his family moved into the North Penn School District. Henley – who also played tennis and basketball - began playing for the Cannoneers and followed that with a memorable journey through the ranks at North Penn.
He credits his parents, Marcetas and Keith Henley, for setting the bar high both on and off the football field.
“I think I inherited my work ethic from my mom,” Henley said. “She always pushed me to be the best I could be in the classroom as well as on the field because grades are the most important thing. She always pushed me to put the books first.”
Henley doesn’t have a whole lot of spare time these days.
“One of my former basketball coaches who coached me in high school – he just had heart surgery on his pacemaker so he couldn’t really do too much,” said Henley, who played basketball at North Penn through his sophomore year. “He asked if I could help him out, so I volunteer there every day. I go to practices and games and just help him out, help coach the younger kids.”
Henley is also hoping to volunteer at the YMCA this winter.
“Coach Beck asked if I could be a steady quarterback for their youth league,” he said. “I’m going to try and work it out as long as I can fit it in with my basketball coaching schedule.”
And the young man who absorbed everything he could as he charted defensive plays on the sidelines finds himself sharing what he’s learned to aspiring athletes hoping to one day follow in his footsteps.
