Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WEST BRANCH – Andy Henson learned a lot during his first two seasons of varsity football.

As a freshman backup Henson soaked up all he could from senior standout Tanner Lukavsky.

In his first season as a full-time starter last fall Henson studied the habits of senior quarterback Gavin Hierseman.

“It helped a lot learning from Tanner (Lukavsky) who was a really good back I looked up to him a lot and it also helped practicing with guys like Gavin Hierseman since my sophomore year,” Henson said. “Those older guys taking me in and teaching me the ropes was big for me.”

Of all the pieces of knowledge that Henson picked up while rushing for more than 1,000 yards during his first two season of prep football there was one realization he came to all on his own.

In order to take the pounding that comes with being the every-down running back and to offset the physical wear and tear that comes with being a two-way starter Henson was going to need to get bigger.

He also figured he could stand to get stronger and faster as well.

“I definitely focused on getting bigger and stronger over the offseason knowing that I would probably get the ball more often,” Henson said. “I knew I had to get bigger to take those hits throughout the game and throughout the year.”

Henson learned first, largely getting the lessons last season while rushing for 893 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games.

Then he put that knowledge into action.

His dedication to the weight room helped Henson pack nearly 25 pounds onto his now 6-foot-2 frame following a two-inch offseason growth spurt.

Henson went from a 185-pound sophomore to an impressive-looking 205-pound junior while dropping his 40 yard dash time into the 4.8 range.

“I’ve grown a couple of inches and put on about 25 pounds since last year,” Henson said. “My speed has gotten better, I’ve dropped my 40 time down and that has helped.”

The added size, strength and speed will be needed for Henson who figures to be busy this season as West Branch breaks in a new quarterback and a couple of first-year starters along the offensive line.

“He is going to be one of our bell cows,” long-time West Branch coach Butch Pedersen said. “He is going to be one of our leaders on offense, defense and special teams so we are going to lean on him a lot to give us some leadership.”

Henson is more than just a runner, he is a complete back in every sense of the phrase.

He ranked second on the team with 32 receptions last season for 252 yards and a touchdown.

“We will move him around this year too,” Pedersen said. “He will go a variety of different spots and we will try to isolate him with people and that’s a real plus that we can do on offense that is for darn sure.”

The catches aren’t all screen passes or swing routes out of the back field and Henson isn’t your typical running back with receiver numbers.

He is a legit threat as a receiver and at 6-foot-2 can cause mismatches for defensive backs.

“We have sometimes where Andy is out at receiver, he is way bigger than most receivers and he can run routes as well as any of us,” West Branch senior receiver Peyton Miller said. “We have receivers that can move to running back if Andy needs plays off. We have a lot of depth this year.”

The offensive numbers stand out but Henson may be even more valuable for West Branch on defense.

He ranked second on the team with 32 tackles from his linebacker spot last season with six coming behind the line of scrimmage.

Henson also picked off two passes and recovered a fumble. Oh, and he also punts, averaging 30l6 yards on 19 kicks last season.

“He is a tremendous athlete,” Pedersen said. “I think he’s a college type football player without any question. He has gotten bigger, he’s fast, he’s strong and he understands what he is supposed to do. There are a lot of components right there that are going to make him an excellent football player.”

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