Date: Fri 23-Feb-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Billy-Henckel-Feature

Full Text:

Billy Henckel Finds New Life In Sports

p10> B Y T.W YATT

Last year at this time Newtown High's Billy Henckel was checking out of school

right at the bell, and going home. He'd spend his free time either hanging out

with his friends or in the garage working on his car. College was the furthest

thing from his mind.

But, oh what a difference a year makes.

Today, after securing his second-straight varsity letter, the six-foot-four,

225-pound Henckel has made a name for himself as one of the most-promising

athletes at NHS. The junior has only been a high school athlete for six months

- playing three games with the football team and recently finishing a

successful wrestling campaign - but already some big-name colleges are poking

around and asking questions.

Billy Henckel's life has changed.

Last week, Henckel ended his first-ever high school wrestling season with a

sixth-place finish at the Class L State Championships after a strong showing

in the South West Conference's heavyweight division the week before.

He was one of the team's most-successful wrestlers this season, but it took

some doing just to get him to go out for the team.

" I had him in class and I was bugging him every day to come out, " said

first-year NHS wrestling coach John Zelina. " He kept saying no, but I kept at

him. After a while I think he was starting to get annoyed with me, so I let up

a little. Then, one day, he changed his mind. "

Henckel's change of heart also had something to do with the prodding of his

friend Dan Monroe, Newtown's defending WCC wrestling champion.

" I just didn't want to wrestle, " he said. " It seemed like everybody was

trying to talk me into it, but I just didn't want to. Finally, I guess, it was

Dan who talked me into it. "

Though Henckel had never wrestled before, he was an almost-instant success. He

medaled at Newtown's first tournament and then drew his first standing ovation

when he defeated New Fairfield's heavyweight to help the Indians beat the

Rebels for the first time in many years.

He was hooked.

Other wrestlers had more experience than the Newtown rookie, but few could put

him on his back.

" I learned some of the basic stuff, but relied mostly on speed and strength,

" he said. " A lot of guys in the heavyweight class are just big, fat guys,

and I was a lot quicker than them. "

Henckel wrestled to a 12-3 regular season record which included eight pins.

After his third-place finish at the SWC Championship and his team-best

sixth-place finish at Class L's, he capped his mark at 15-6 for the year.

" Right now, Billy's just scratching the surface and finding out what he can

do, " said NHS football coach and athletic director, Bob Zito. " He's also

finding out what athletics might be able to do for him. "

On The Grid Iron

Henckel was born and raised in Newtown and grew up as a football fan, but his

only attempt at playing organized sports ended in disappointment.

" I went to sign up for Pop Warner when I was in fifth grade, " Henckel

remembers. " I was too heavy to play with the kids my own age and got put in

with a bunch of kids who were a lot older and better than I was. "

The whole experience turned him away from athletics, altogether.

" After that, I played football around the house and stuff, but I never really

got into it, " he said. " I was more into cars. "

Coach Zito quickly heard about Henckel in the fall of 1993 when physical

education teacher Norm Westlake told him that he had a big kid running a 4.6

40-yard dash in gym class - a freshman.

" As a freshman Billy was one of the biggest kids in the school, " Zito

recalled. " I talked to him, but he didn't want to play. "

Henckel wasn't interested, and didn't so much as look into playing any sports

at Newtown High in his first two years there. Then, at the end of his

sophomore year, his friends talked him into going to spring football practice.

At six-foot-four and 240 pounds, Henckel did not go unnoticed.

" He was very rough around the edges, " coach Zito said, " he still is rough,

but he's learning. The first day of practice last summer, we were at St Joe's.

In the last session we decided to scrimmage and on the first play, Billy's out

there at nose guard and a guy comes in and hits him from the side. I look up

and Billy's got this guy in a headlock and is pounding him in the head. We

break it up and I asked him, 'Billy, what are you doing?' He said 'coach, he's

not allowed to block me from the side, is he?' "

The learning progress began there for the NHS junior, but when the season was

set to begin he was discovered to be academically ineligible to play.

Instead of quitting, though, Henckel remained a part of the team. He continued

to attend practices and games, while hitting the books harder than he ever had

before. By the seventh game of the season, Henckel's grades were in good

standing and he was back on the field playing nose guard in Newtown's final

three games.

Henckel remembers the trials and tribulations of trying to learn the sport as

a high school junior. " I had no clue what was going on, " he said with a

chuckle. " Defense wasn't that tough, but I just couldn't catch on on the

offense. There were so many plays. I had a lot of fun, though. Next year I'll

be ready for it. "

Not only will Henckel be ready for football next year, but he will be one of

the team's focal points.

" He could be a real big player for us, " Zito said. " With a little bit of

direction he could do great things. Technique-wise he knows he's got to learn

and we want to get him to a few camps this summer. He has so much going for

him physically. With his size and athletic ability he's going to get some

looks from some pretty big-time schools next year. "

Though Billy's weight has trimmed down to 225 during wrestling season, his

football playing weight last fall was better than 240 pounds.

With wrestling season now over, Henckel plans on beginning a weight training

program in preparation for his senior-year football season, hoping to build

his weight back up.

Other than one day in the NHS weight room, ironically, he's never lifted a

weight in his life. But the day he did, he raised some eyebrows.

" He came into the weight room one day and wanted to know what his max was, "

said coach Zito. " The kids had 220 on the bar and he got down and pressed it

up about eight times. They ended up raising the weight to around 285 and he

pushed that up five or six times. It's scary what this kid can do. "

But as impressed as Zito is with Bill's physical prowess, he's most-proud of

what playing football and wrestling has done for the boy's life.

" The biggest thing that sports has done for Billy, so far, is to give him a

purpose to be successful academically, " Zito said. " Most kids his age have

no idea what they want to do with their lives. Sports has kind of opened up

another avenue for him and given him something to focus on. "

Henckel admits that he's been trying a lot harder in the classroom of late,

and is fully intending on keeping his grades up and looking forward to a

possible football scholarship.

" Billy Henckel is a great story, " Zito concluded. " He's like a kid who woke

up and found himself in a candy store. He was a shy and quiet kid before high

school sports, but he's got a little more swagger to his step now. "

And another year to go.