The first play of Nolan Henderson’s high school football career showed Smyrna coach Mike Judy all he needed to see.
Three years ago, the helmet of the Eagles’ starting quarterback came off in the season opener against Glasgow. Henderson, a sophomore backup, had to go in for one play.
Henderson fumbled a low snap, picked up the ball, ran away from pressure and threw a dart for a first down. With no fanfare, he went back to the bench.
“He could have easily been rattled, but he just held his composure,” Judy said. “To me, I knew, ‘This kid has got it.’
“Ten years from now when we’re talking about Nolan Henderson and what he did here, that was it in one play. He was calm under pressure, couldn’t be rattled and was able to extend plays. Those are the three things that he left as his legacy.”
Henderson also left behind a 22-game winning streak, two consecutive DIAA Division I championships and Delaware’s Offensive Player of the Year award as a senior. He was a clear choice in voting by the Delaware Interscholastic Football Coaches Association and the state’s high school football media.
“He has been the centerpiece of the offense. As we call him, the triggerman,” Judy said. “He’s the guy that makes us work offensively, and we’re going to sorely miss him. He’s a tremendous leader, a great talent, and more than both of those, he’s a great kid.”
Henderson had the keys to the Bugatti, calling the signals for perhaps the most prolific offense in Delaware high school history. Smyrna scored 632 points in 12 games this season, an average of 52.7 per outing.
“It’s definitely a dream offense for any quarterback,” Henderson said. “I was blessed with the great weapons in the backfield and in the receiving corps my whole career… It’s fun to put up all those points.”
Henderson took over as the starter in the second game of his sophomore year, setting school records for passing yards (2,150) and touchdown passes (21) as the Eagles improved from 2-8 to 5-5.
Then, it got even better. Henderson passed for 3,297 yards and 36 scores last year as Smyrna went 12-1 and won its first D-I title. And he wasn’t even the main attraction. Running back Will Knight cranked out 2,015 rushing yards and 33 TDs to win the state’s Offensive Player of the Year honors.
“We’ve played together since we were younger, and he’s always been that freak of an athlete,” Henderson said of Knight. “He’s always been fun to watch. Just getting the ball in his hands in open space and watching him work, it makes my job easier… Every time he touches the ball, he’s a threat to score.”
This year, the numbers for Henderson and Knight dipped a little as the Eagles added junior Leddie Brown, another talented running back who was voted first team All-State as a kick returner.
Brown rushed for 730 yards and 14 touchdowns. Knight ripped off 1,339 yards and 24 scores. The two junior running backs also combined for 49 catches for 1,195 yards and 16 TDs.
Henderson still threw for 2,317 yards and 32 scores. Not that he was counting.
“He threw less passes this year, threw a pretty similar amount of touchdowns and ran the ball less than I thought we would run him,” Judy said. “He was blessed with some great guys surrounding him. To watch him just thrive in that, and not be worried and caught up in his own production, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”
A prime example was the state championship game. Smyrna’s coaches thought the Eagles’ spread offense would create running opportunities up the middle against Middletown’s stout defense.
“We knew we were going to play this game a certain way, and it wasn’t necessarily going to be what we normally roll out there,” Judy said.
Knight grounded and pounded for 241 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries. Brown added 176 yards and the final TD on 26 carries. Henderson completed just 2 of 6 passes for 18 yards, but the Eagles rolled to a 36-14 victory.
The Eagles call it RPO – run-pass option. Henderson had it on almost every play, following the instructions of offensive coordinator Mike Marks. On this day, it was more running than passing. Henderson had the discipline to carry it out.
“This year, I definitely had a better grasp of the play calls and what beats what,” Henderson said. “If I saw a look, I knew what I’m going to go with. Coach Marks did a great job teaching me, letting me know the right call in each situation.”
But other teams dared the Eagles to pass, and Henderson delivered. Sussex Tech blitzed repeatedly, forcing the quarterback to make quick reads under pressure. The result: 18 of 25 for 329 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-22 victory on Oct. 14.
“There might be one person who watches more film than the staff, and that’s Nolan,” Judy said. “He was always prepared for every situation, and understood what we were trying to do.”
Salesianum already knew what Henderson could do, as he guided the Eagles to a 32-26 overtime victory against the Sals in the 2015 D-I title game. On Sept. 23, in one of the most highly anticipated rematches in Delaware history, Henderson completed 14 of 17 for 278 yards and five scores in a 60-26 victory.
“We’ve seen it on the other side, going against him,” Sallies coach Bill DiNardo said. “He can run the ball. He makes great decisions. He puts pressure on your defense. He can extend plays. He has a great release. He’s extremely accurate.
“He’s just a great quarterback.”
He was part of a great turnaround, as Smyrna has suddenly become one of the state’s most powerful football programs.
“We came a long way, from 2-8 to 5-5 and where we are now,” Henderson said. “It’s a pretty drastic change in such a quick period of time. It just goes back to the hard work we put in. I felt like we had the talent and the great coaches, and the work we put in paid off.”
Nobody worked harder than Henderson, who concentrated on refining his footwork and hip rotation going into his senior season.
“The kid just never gets tired,” Judy said. “A pitcher, a quarterback, anybody who’s a thrower, they tend to have a pitch count. Even at practice, a kid might have 100 throws in him, then you’ve got to rest him.
“This kid never has a pitch count. He could throw 300, 400 balls a day, and he never has to ice his elbow, never has to worry about his shoulder. He’s like Superman.”
Henderson and the Eagles relished the hard work because they knew what was possible. Especially after winning their first title last season.
“We definitely knew that the only team that could beat us was ourselves,” Henderson said. “Every day at practice, we chase perfection and worry about the details, not having many turnovers or penalties. Because we knew, that was basically the only thing that could stop us.”
They were unstoppable, and Henderson made it all work. Judy estimated that on 30 to 50 percent of the Eagles’ snaps, Henderson was dictating where the ball was going to go.
College coaches noticed his array of skills, and the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder committed to the University of Delaware in July. That was placed on hold, however, when the Blue Hens fired head coach Dave Brock in October. Henderson, who still has interest from other schools, plans to meet with new UD coach Danny Rocco before making a final decision.
“He’s just such a tremendous player,” DiNardo said. “I’ve been so excited to talk about him to other coaches and to college coaches coming through. I truly believe he’s a big-time, Division I prospect.”
He was one of the stars who brought a big-time feel to Smyrna, which was starved for football success. After passing for 7,764 yards and 89 touchdowns and running for 1,077 yards and 14 more scores in three years, it’s safe to say the fans there will never forget him.
“The progress we’ve made over such a short period of time is special,” Henderson said. “All the hard work that we put in, it paid off. I’m just glad we were able to do it for this town and this community.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
Smyrna High School football player Nolan Henderson,18, a senior.