Lights, camera, action. High school football -- from recruiting battles to Friday's No. 1 vs. 2 national showdown -- continues to entertain. Offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, long anointed the nation's top prep football player by recruiting services, hasn't disappointed this season for undefeated Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.), according to head coach Mike Scanlan. The drama should only build as Henderson remains undecided about his collegiate selection as February's National Signing Day approaches.
Farther South, St. Thomas Aquinas, ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25, is set for its highly-anticipated clash against No. 2 Duncan Byrnes (S.C.) on Friday at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The nationally-televised game (ESPNU) could very well decide the prep national championship.
Of course, recruiting remains a hot topic. And there's none hotter, if not larger, than Henderson, ranked the country's top prep recruit by recruiting services Rivals.com and Scout.com.
Henderson, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound tackle, recently made his first official visit, when he traveled to Ohio State for the Buckeyes defeat to USC on Sept. 11. Henderson's short list remains Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Notre Dame, Minnesota and possibly a late, wildcard entry in Miami.
Henderson's next visit is scheduled for Notre Dame Oct. 11. Henderson's former prep teammate, receiver Michael Floyd, plays for the Irish. Floyd, however, recently underwent surgery for a broken left collarbone and will miss the remainder of the season.
Henderson also has scheduled a visit to Southern Cal Nov. 27. He hasn't set dates for his remaining two visits (players are permitted five under NCAA rules).
Henderson was one of 30 players nationally recently named to the watch list for the 2010 U.S. Army Player of the Year Award. Past winners include Kevin Jones (Chicago Bears), Lorenzo Booker (Florida State), Chris Leak (Florida), Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings), Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State), Mitch Mustain (USC), Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame), Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State) and Bryce Brown (Tennessee).
Scanlan says Henderson hasn't let the recruiting pressures affect his performance.
"We are 4-0 in the conference (Suburban East) with some tough games coming up, but it beats 0-4," Scanlan chuckled and told FanHouse Monday morning.
"We have a nice balance between running and throwing. Of course, we have the franchise - Seantrel. He is playing well. This is probably as good a start of a season that he has ever had. I think he has been able to stay focused. He's real responsible. He takes care of (academic work). I think he has been doing a great job."
Henderson has started every game at left tackle for Cretin-Derham since his sophomore season (freshman aren't allowed to play varsity for the Raiders) and he has allowed just one sack.
Big-time football recruits are nothing new at Cretin-Derham, which has produced Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Harris, Baltimore Ravens All-Pro center Matt Birk and Minnesota Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer.
Mauer was the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year his senior season at Cretin-Derham and committed to play quarterback at Florida State before giving up the sport in favor of baseball.
Scanlan also said that the team's current quarterback, Mark Alt -- he's the son of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman John Alt -- should start to attract attention for his torrid start. Alt, who has committed to play hockey at Minnesota, has already thrown for 13 touchdowns with only one interception.
Of the nation's top 10 prep recruits listed by Rivals.com, only three have made verbal commitments (which are, of course, non-binding) -- No. 2 Kyle Prater (receiver) of Hillside, Ill. (Southern Cal) No. 9 Robert Woods (athlete) of Gardena, Calif. (Southern Cal) and No. 10 James Hurst (offensive lineman) of Indianapolis (North Carolina).
The country's top two prep running backs -- Lache Seastrunk of Temple, Tex., and Marcus Lattimore of Duncan, S.C. -- also have played well.
Seastrunk, ranked No. 3 nationally, scored on a 49-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the season earlier this month. It was Seastrunk's 22nd career touchdown of 40 yards or longer; he's also the career rushing leader at Temple, which owns the fourth-most victories all-time in Texas prep football history. Seastrunk has neither narrowed his list of colleges nor scheduled an official visit.
Lattimore, ranked No. 6 nationally, says the football season has provided a reprieve from recruiting. He is scheduled to take his first official visit to FSU on Oct. 9, followed by Auburn Oct. 30. He also has scheduled a trip to Penn State on Nov. 6. Other favorites include North Carolina, Oregon, Georgia and South Carolina.
"Coaches are allowed to call now so I still talk with them a lot," Lattimore told Rivals.com. "I am really focused on these games that we have coming up. We've got a five-game stretch coming up that is going to be tough."
Highlighting that mix is Friday's trip to Florida to face St. Thomas Aquinas (3-0), the two-time defending Class 5A state champion which has outscored its first three opponents 133-20.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Aquinas but was moved to Lockhart Stadium (18,500 capacity) when school officials realized their stadium couldn't safely accommodate the anticipated crowd.
Lattimore and Byrnes moved to 5-0 with a 60-7 win over Gaffney, S.C., last Friday night. Byrnes has scored 145 points the past two games. St. Thomas Aquinas has won 27 consecutive games dating back to the 2007 season.
"It will be a really special event for the city of Fort Lauderdale, and hopefully it will bring more of this type of stuff to South Florida," St. Thomas coach George Smith told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
In team recruiting rankings, Texas remains No. 1, according to Rivals.com. The Longhorns are followed by LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, Penn State, USC, Florida and Georgia (tied for eighth) and Texas A&M.
