The relationship of Grace Brethren High School head football coach Josh Henderson and his son, Joshua, who plays linebacker for the Grace Brethren Lancers, is highlighted in a story in yesterday’s Ventura County Star. The team is headed to the CIF-SS Division 8 championship this week. A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article. Grace Brethren High School is a ministry of Grace Brethren Church, Simi Valley, Calif. (Jordan Bakker, senior pastor).
Father and son enjoy ride to CIF title game
Of all things, it was the sport of lacrosse that signaled a pivotal moment in Joshua Henderson’s growing maturity.
The son of Grace Brethren High head football coach Josh Henderson is a football player first and foremost, and has started at linebacker for the Lancers as a freshman and sophomore. But the son’s decision last spring to join the school’s first-ever lacrosse team spoke volume’s to a teenager’s burgeoning self-confidence.
“It was one of the first times that he stood up to me,” Josh, the coach, says through a smile. “I liked that. I wasn’t all that much in favor of his playing lacrosse. But it was his decision and that’s what he wanted to do. I love my son and that gave me even more respect for him.”
There’s no better feeling for a head football coach than to watch your players mature, thrive and prosper and reach a Southern Section championship game.
Youthful Grace Brethren, with 29 freshmen and sophomores on the roster, seemingly has arrived way ahead of schedule. Despite the presence of just five seniors, Grace Brethren will play for the CIF-SS Division 8 championship Friday night at Antelope Valley High. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Third-seeded Grace Brethren is 11-2 and riding a nine-game winning streak. Fourth-seeded Antelope Valley is 11-2 and has won seven straight, including handing Rio Mesa its only loss of the season in the semifinals.
Tenth-grader Joshua, at age 16, knows what the opportunity means to him.
Click here to read the complete article.