Heniff to carry Dukes: Senior RB a leader in Dixon

DIXON – If you were to go to a Dixon Dukes football practice or game and close your eyes, you wouldn't hear too much from Luke Heniff.

Open your eyes, though, and you'd notice that the senior fullback makes an awful lot of noise.

One of the only returning starters from 2008, Heniff speaks softly but delivers some big hits. He also knows what it takes to compete at the varsity level, and his teammates appreciate his experience and leadership.

"I'm most comfortable giving the ball to him, just because he's so confident in what he does," said junior quarterback P.J. Ginn.

"He's even told me that if I don't know what to do when a play breaks down or don't know where to go with the ball, just to give it to him and he'll get the job done. I trust him, and I think all the offensive guys trust him when he has the ball."

Even with all the new faces surrounding Heniff, there's still a high level of comfort in the Dixon backfield. These Dukes have all played together before at lower levels, and there's already a strong bond between the guys who will have the ball in their hands the most.

In Dixon's offense, ideally the ball is evenly distributed between the fullback, wingback, halfback and quarterback. Quick handoffs and a diversity of ballcarriers keeps the defense guessing.

But Heniff's attitude has his teammates knowing exactly who will carry a little more of the load in 2009.

"A lot of these guys, it's their first year of varsity," Heniff said, "and they've got to learn from somebody. This year, that's me."

"It's nice to know there's one guy who's willing to try and hold the whole team up on his shoulders," junior Preston Lumzy said. "There's not too many players who would do that, would feel comfortable and confident enough to fill that role."

It's a role Heniff has had plenty of time to come to terms with. As soon as last season ended, Heniff realized that he was going to have to be one of the "main guys" in 2009.

"It's not really about liking it or not liking it," Heniff said. "It's just the way it is, and I'm prepared to play that role. I'm fine with that."

He's not a rah-rah guy – "I don't like to yell at guys or tell them what to do," he said – but likes nothing more than leading by example.

"I know what I can do, know my capabilities," Heniff said. "I've put in a lot of hard work, and I'm not afraid to stick my nose in there to make plays."

While the rest of the Dukes respect that attitude, they're definitely ready to support their quiet leader.

Dixon will possess a little more speed than last year, according to coach Tony Agrimonti, "and we have the same type of hard runners again this year, guys who are just hard to bring down."

Then there's the defense. Goinf into their fifth season in Agrimonti's scheme, the Dukes D is confident and ready to fly around the field and hit hard – and keep the offense's burden to a minimum.

"We just have to work hard," Lumzy said. "Hopefully the rest of the defense and I, we can help ease some of the load off Luke and the offense. If we stay strong on defense and let Luke rest when we don't have the ball, that means he can be out there even more on offense – and that means more yards and more TDs."

And that usually translates into more wins.

Preston Lumzy breaks down the Dukes

Our strength is: Our defense. We have a great defensive coach, and we all know the scheme and know what our roles are.

We need to work on: Staying together on offense. We need to be a fist, not an open hand; we all need to trust each other and play as a team instead of individuals.

Funniest Duke: Tanner Weidman. He's just a funny guy on the field and on the sideline.

Smartest Duke: David Goad. He gets good grades in class and knows where everybody's supposed to be on the field.

Strongest Duke: Cody Hill. He grew up on a farm, so he's got that natural work ethic and strength.

Breakout player: P.J. Ginn. People don't really know him, don't know what he can do. He came up and saw the field a little bit toward the end of last season, and I'm expecting some good things from him.

Our team motto is: Finish Strong. Those are the two words we hear the most from Coach.

Can't wait to play: Morris. They're new to the conference, and I want to see this team that's been good every year for a long time.

Opposing player I respect most: Luke Hermes from Sterling. We've always been good friends, and he never plays dirty. He can keep his team in line and I can keep my guys in line.