Henderson finds second-sport passion with soccer

Christian Henderson

 Last spring, Christian Henderson decided to start playing soccer, and now, the White County High School junior has become a two-sport standout.

“He is a natural goal scorer and has this crazy knack for getting naturally better at soccer every time he steps on the pitch,” Warrior Soccer coach Drew Haston said of the striker. “I think there are great things ahead of him in his soccer career.”

Henderson recently scored a hat-trick, the first of his career, against the rival team from Upperman High School. (A player gets a hat-trick when they score three goals in one game.)

“My teammates are always hyping me up, but, after I scored two goals, they really started hyping me up about scoring a hat-trick,” Henderson said, but quickly gave credit to his teammates who also scored in the 5-3 Warrior victory. “We were already up four to three when I scored my final goal near the end of the game. It was pretty crazy, exciting.”

Henderson said, that while having a three-goal night was an amazing experience, it was set up by the Warrior defense who, when the Warriors found themselves down by one early in the game, put up a wall and held the Upperman Bees until the Warriors’ offense got in a rhythm and started their scoring frenzy.

“It was getting pretty tense,” Henderson said. “But our defense held on and put is in a good spot.”

White County High School principal Greg Wilson said Henderson is a good student as well as a good athlete.

“Christian is a really hard worker and enjoys athletics. He is a great teammate, according to those who are on his teams. Christian always greets you with a smile and is always polite,” Wilson said. “He is an asset to the WCHS student body.”

Haston agreed with Wilson’s assessment.

“We are thankful to have Christian on our team,” he said. “You couldn’t ask for a better guy. The guys enjoy being around him, he’s always positive, and he’s very competitive.”

As for Henderson, he said he started playing soccer to have something to do after basketball season ended but has grown to love the sport, despite the fact he said the game requires a lot more running.

“The running is a lot worse in soccer. It’s a way bigger playing field than a basketball court, and you don’t stop running in soccer,” he laughed, but then answered the question about what he will be doing his senior year. “Yeah, I’m playing. No question.”