Two years ago football was not even in the picture for senior Tyrae Jenkins. Now he is looking back on his senior season in which he started varsity at running back and earned honors as second team All-Sunflower League.

   According to Jenkins the reason he never played until his junior year was fear.

   “I was scared to get hit,” senior Tyrae Jenkins said. “I didn’t think I had the physical toughness to do it.”

   He never had any intentions of playing until the weight’s teachers, also football coaches, started talking to him. After lots of talks with the coaches, Jenkins finally decided to give it a try during the spring of his sophomore year and play the next fall. When he had this change of heart he never thought he would play varsity, he was just going to play for fun.

   “I wanted to try something new,” Jenkins said. “I never thought I was going to play varsity.”

   Before he could suit up and put on the pads he had to get rid of one thing, his fear.

   “My mindset changed,” Jenkins said. “I knew it would be tough, I knew it would be physical, I just told myself that I was going to participate and have fun.”

   Head coach Dirk Wedd said he always saw Jenkins as having potential even though he missed a year as a sophomore.

   “He loved the game,” coach Dirk Wedd said. “You don’t see that in every young man.”

   Jenkins was put on special teams and was the third string running back playing behind seniors Jake Green and Clifton Sims. Jenkins saw his first big break come in the second half of the Shawnee Mission Northwest game. When Green went down with an injury, Jenkins was put into the game. This was his first action at running back on the varsity level. He would go on to rush for 92 yards on 14 attempts, a total that would be a good stat line for a whole game, let alone one half. It was after this game that Jenkins really decided he was going to get serious about football.

   “I read the article in the paper the next morning and they were hyping my performance in the game,” Jenkins said. “The next week I upped my level in practice and started running everything with the first team.”

   Jenkins said that after that game Wedd called him a “hidden talent.”

   “They didn’t know what I was about until I showed them in that game,” Jenkins said.

  After losing 5 senior captains to graduation Jenkins knew he had to separate himself during the offseason if he was going to improve. He did just that.

   “I knew I was going to have to be the man,” Jenkins said. “My goal was to get stronger and faster.”

   Assistant Coach Adam Green said this was really when he saw Tyrae separate himself.

   “He attacked our summer conditioning every day to prepare his body for this season,” Coach Adam Green said. “He made himself faster and stronger which made him more durable when the season came around.”

   Of all the games Jenkins played in, his favorite moment came in the first game of his senior year.

   “There was so much hype for that first game on the new field,” Jenkins said. “When I scored that first touchdown Coach Wedd had the biggest smile on his face.”

   That touchdown, a 79-yard touchdown run, was Jenkins longest on the season and was the first touchdown on the new field. In fact, Jenkins scored the first touchdown in both end zones of the field. Jenkins’ biggest game of the season came against Olathe South when he rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown. Even though the team did not enjoy much success, finishing 1-8, Jenkins was a bright spot rushing for 970 yards and 8 touchdowns.

   “He stepped up and showed people what character and work ethic is all about at LHS,” Wedd said. “He represented Lawrence High in a class way for two years, and is the reason I love coaching at LHS.”

   When he looks back on his football career at Lawrence High, Jenkins accomplished just what he set out to do his junior year, have fun. Everything else that he accomplished was just bonus.

   “It was a fun experience even though our record was bad,” Jenkins said.

   As far as the next level goes Jenkins is currently in the process of sending out highlight tapes to various colleges and has already received an offer for a full scholarship to Coffeyville Community College, (which is one of the top community colleges in the nation at sending football players on to Division 1 schools) and has offers from various other schools.

   “Wherever he goes he will be a huge success,” Wedd said. “We will just have to wait and see if there is a match.”

   Now that Jenkins has overcome his fear of the game, look for him to take his game to the next level. Although he is not sure where he will go, one thing is guaranteed, he will take his great attitude and work ethic with him.

Schools Tyrae has received offers from:

• Coffeyville Community College (Coffeyville, KS)
• Dodge City Community College (Dodge City, KS)
• William Jewell College (Liberty, MO)
• University of Saint Mary (Leavenworth, KS)
• Buena Vista University (Storm Lake, IA)