The 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore not only carried the Riptide (1-1) to its first-ever varsity win last Friday — he also carried a few Modesto Christian players along the way.

With his 17 rushes, Henry accounted for 144 of the team’s 164 yards of offense and scored the only points of the game, as River Islands rolled to a 12-0 victory in Modesto.

“It’s an honor for the team to be the first in River Islands history to win a varsity game,” Henry said. “And to be the first to run the ball 100-plus yards means everything to me. I’m in the books. I’m (part of) history. Can’t wait to play more games and get my name out there and represent the school. We hope to become one of the best programs in the Central Valley one day.”

River Islands, coming off a 41-0 Week 0 loss to an experienced Franklin team, struggled in the first half against Modesto Christian. That changed on Henry’s first touch of the second half, as he plowed through at least five tackles on the way to a 40-yard touchdown run.

“We just had to get out of our own heads,” Henry said. “We were thinking too much. We just needed to play our game out there, be confident with our skills and to believe as a team.”

Henry had another highlight-reel scamper of 32 yards, powering past several defenders with stiff-arms. He later put the game out of reach with an 8-yard touchdown late with 3:29 remaining.

“It’s just about never giving up,” Henry said of his running style. “My dad always told me to always keep running, even if someone is on you, because no one can stop you. I just took it to heart. I kept driving and driving, but I couldn’t do it without my team and my line, of course. I’m glad to be on a team that supports each other like family. I can’t do it without my coaches either. They push me pass my limits and make me better as a person as well as a football player.”

Henry also dominated on the defensive side at middle linebacker. He led the Riptide with eight tackles and a sack. The defense limited the Crusaders to just 79 yards and forced three turnovers.

“We’re pretty proud about that,” Henry said of the shutout. “We’re just getting better every day. Whether it was a shutout or not, we have to drop it and put it behind us, because we have a new game. We want to come out with the same energy. It just goes up from here.”

The Riptide faces Chavez (0-2) on the road this Friday.