GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Throughout the spring, McAllen High junior Gunnar Henderson has spent most of his weekends on the road.
Since making the Team Texas Elite 7 on 7 squad, Henderson has taken the 5-hour car ride with his father back and forth to Houston for practice every Sunday. He’s also traveled to Los Angeles, New Orleans and Las Vegas for tournaments with the team, with trips to Denver and Tampa still on the horizon.
“It’s a lot of work, but I know it’s going to be worth it at the end of the day,” Henderson said. “It’s helped me get a lot of interest from different colleges.”
The reps also figure to help him at McHi, where this month he and his teammates have been running through spring practice. After a relatively quiet 2016, Henderson is looking to set himself up for a breakout senior season that could land him college offers and help the Bulldogs bounce back from last year’s 3-7 campaign — McHi’s lowest win total since 2005.
Coach Kevin Brewer is already seeing the dividends of Henderson’s effort.
“All the hard work that young man has put in developing his skillset, it shows out here,” Brewer said. “He’s done a heck of a job, absolutely.”
Henderson said he found out about Team Texas Elite through Twitter, traveled to Houston for the tryout and ended up coming through a group of about 150 interested athletes.
His offseason has also included standout performances on the track — a Class 6A District 29-30 area title in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.75 seconds — and a trip to the Army National Combine in San Antonio to work against other top high school talent.
“I went against a lot of the top DBs, and I ended up winning,” Henderson said. “I have video to send out to coaches and the name of the DBs I beat. Here’s me versus this and that, and he has 14 offers, and I beat him. That’s another way to sell myself.”
Henderson also knows he can sell himself on the field at McAllen High, where last season he ran for 144 yards and caught 11 passes for 217 yards in six games after rejoining the team midway through the season as a transfer from Brownsville St. Joseph.
At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash, Henderson projects as a slot receiver at the college level. But at McHi, he said he’s willing to do anything to help the team win, with responsibilities last year that also included running back and wildcat quarterback.
Brewer said Henderson will be McHi’s “Swiss army knife,” and that his natural playmaking will allow him to stand out to college scouts at any position.
“His ability will shine,” Brewer said. “They’ll see that. We don’t have to do anything different to showcase him in a certain way. His ability is going to show no matter what we’ve got him doing.”
So far, Henderson said his process of trying to find a college involves mostly just conversations. Army, Columbia, Georgia, Navy, Nevada, TCU, UTSA and Yale are among the schools that have shown interest in getting him out to their camps. Much like this spring, Henderson and his father are planning on a lot of traveling during the summer.
“It sucks, but a lot of colleges find the excuse that, ‘You’re from the Valley,’” Henderson said. “They want to see you in person. So I guess that’s what I have to do. I can’t make an excuse. I have to go.”
FRESH DEFENSE
McAllen High is going through the spring practice season looking to find 11 new starters on the defensive side.
“When you’re replacing 11 starters, there’s going to be some transition time and some figuring things out time,” Brewer said. “In three weeks, they’ve gone through that process. They’re going to be fine.”
So far, defensive tackle Jerry Lopez and defensive back Tripp Potter seem to be some of the early standouts.
“You’re used to the same faces. When they leave, you have to step up,” Lopez said. “It’s helping with the maturity, and some of the guys you never thought would step up have stepped up really well.”
QUARTERBACK BATTLE
Brewer said McAllen High’s quarterback battle is hard to handicap during the spring given that freshman option Aaron Nixon spending his time with McHi’s baseball team.
Brewer said returning letterman JR Cortez has had a great spring, and Cortez said he’s looking to make the most of his opportunity.
“I’m getting all the reps. He’s at baseball right now, so when he comes in, he’s not going to know anything about that,” Cortez said. “That’s what I’m going to try to take advantage of, because I have a big step up on him right now.”
McALLEN HIGH
Returning starters (O/D): 5/0
Returning lettermen: 25
Key Players: RB/WR Gunnar Henderson, RB Roy Gutierrez, DT Jerry Lopez, DB Tripp Potter, QB JR Cortez
Coach: Kevin Brewer, 5th year at school
2016 Record: 3-7