Zach and Grady the Dynamic Duo–Summer Article

Zach Henshaw and Grady Achillies

The ReSporter continues part two on the Dynamic Duo.

Zach Henshaw and Grady Achilles are the two running backs for Canyon Lake and Bracken Christian respectfully.

The two backs have a decorated career and are now on their final chapter in the High School arena. Both players have helped in taking their team to heights that are significant based on the age of the two programs.

Canyon Lake will be in their fourth year of competing at the varsity level, while Bracken will start their sixth campaign. The Hawks have been in the playoffs two years in a row with their sights of making three in a row soon.

The Warriors have made the playoffs the last four years and won the Division 1 Championship last season.

The two young man have quite a bit in common. Henshaw and Achilles started playing against and with each other in K-4.

“We were pretty competitive,” Achilles started. “It was funny when we would play pick-up baseball games and we were whipping up on everybody. We were beating grades two ahead of us.”

The two players had an inkling they might like this game called football at a very early age. “We had so many times when we played against other players that it is hard to just remember one,” Henshaw gushed.

The two players play with a few different rules.

“I really liked the speed of the game,” Henshaw said when talking about the 6-man game Achilles plays. “They are so fast and I can see how Grady (Achilles) can dominate in 6-man.”

Achilles has been the TAPPS champion in the 100 and 200 meter run the past two years.

The ReSporter wanted to know how the duo prepared before taking the field each Friday night.

“I Pray to God for protection and give glory to Him,” the reverent Henshaw said. “I am usually to myself and I’m not a very good person to talk to on that day. I can get pretty intense and it doesn’t matter who I’m playing, it is true for every game and I take them all the games just as serious.”

Achilles chimed in, “I have a lot of Prayer, not to win, but for protection. Thursday night I get amped out and I don’t want to talk on Friday, it is awful.”

Achilles continued on the preparation based on the opponent, “It’s a sport and you never know what will happen—you play your game and you just have to go do it.”

Henshaw and Achilles are both good enough that both of the players could be just as accomplished on the defensive side of the ball. With the type of teams, Achilles has the opportunity to play defense more than Henshaw could.

“I went into play defense during one of the games,” Henshaw said. “Coach saw me in the game and he had the coaches pull me as soon as he could. I think I got in just one play.”

“I get to play more defense based on the difficulty of the team,” Achilles said defensively. “I get in the moment and really try to force the Coach to let me play more. He (the Coach) will keep me off of defense and I hate that.”

The ReSporter talked about some of the games the Duo played in last season.

The Kerrville OLH game comes to mind for the Bracken Warriors. The game was the Semi-Final and the Warriors won in overtime.

“I wasn’t nervous,” the confident Achilles said. “I just knew we would not lose. We scored in three straight series.”

For Canyon Lake the two games Henshaw mentioned were the playoff games against Burnet and Somerset.

“In the Burnet game we belonged there,” Henshaw countered. “After we put a lot of points on the board against Burnet and Somerset, then we took it easy and relaxed. We had a hard time finishing.”

“I was nervous inside for the trap check (that was the 35 yard run on the last drive against Somerset),” Henshaw finished. “It is all on you and we were depending on a guard pull to spring me.”

Both players have to be wired differently based on the position. Pressure might be a common opponent for the running back position.

“I love the pressure and the feeling inside me, I’ve got to have it.” Henshaw said taking the pressure off of Achilles with the first answer. “It is tough and I have to keep my mind positive, you have to believe to achieve.”

The pressure was thrown down to Achilles as he had to come up with a saying that would trump what his K-4 classmate just came up with.

“I love it too because it comes down that you know you have to get it (positive yardage),” Achilles said throwing the pressure back over to Henshaw. “It really pushes you, to go the limits and not let down the whole team.”

The ReSporter wanted to know the position of the dreaded ‘big’ head that the two players could get based on the whole school knowing who they are.

Henshaw shot off first, “It is a struggle, I have to let them do the talking and not me. I have to Pray about the little kids and it helps me keep out of trouble and try not to do stupid things at school.”

Achilles has a different situation once again because the different size of schools. “It is more of a family for Bracken Christian and that keeps you honest and it also helps make us a closer team. The Seniors are helping everyone take control.”

Henshaw and Achilles had played with or against each other all the way up to Pop Warner football. In fact, Henshaw at one time was a classmate with Achilles at Bracken Christian.

The time was before BCS had a football team, but the thought did go through the ReSporter’s head about what type of team the Warriors might be with both of the players in the same backfield.

In six-man football the game is over once you are ahead by 45 points. The game will go at least one half regardless of the score.

BCS could possibly Mercy Rule every team they played last season.

“I have to strive to be the best I can be and do everything to the fullest,” Henshaw closed. “Hopefully the best will come out of it…..it still is a Team Sport.”

“I am still amazed at how my brother (Eli Achilles) played with broken ribs and would not tell Coach,” Grady Achilles said proudly. “He (Eli) gets mad at practice if I replace him. Then you have Sam Hilgendorf with kids twice his size dodge out of the way and he will tattoo you.”

You get the idea, that the main ingredient that makes these two young men the players they are is ‘others’.

Both Achilles and Henshaw let it be known that they have the utmost in admiration for the rest of the team. The blocking on the offensive side of the ball to the lock down defense the teams can play on the other side of the ball.

The Dynamic Duo know that they need the rest of the team to make them who they are on the field. Confidence that is not boastful.

The ReSporter hopes you had as much fun reading about these two young man as we did writing it, so now is the time to hop in the Batmobile and save Gotham City.