By Dan Harrison
correspondent
—
On the football field, Hamilton-Wenham senior captain Shane Jenkins' large stature made him an effective hammer on a dominant offensive line and a battering ram at the linebacker position.
But Generals head coach Andrew Morency would argue a more fitting tool to describe his four-year varsity player has to be the Swiss army knife.
A player with many functions and an unwavering reliability, Jenkins is the perfect appliance for any coach who feels the need to be prepared for anything.
It's an appeal not lost on Wesleyan head coach Mike Whalen, who recruited Jenkins heavily since last year and will have the pleasure of Jenkins' presence on the Cardinals' roster next fall.
"The number one thing is, he's very athletic for an offensive lineman. He's got great feet, he pulls, he's physical and he finishes blocks. And defensively, he can do some different things," noted Whalen. "For a kid his size, they (the H-W coaches) allowed him to play up in a two-point stance and you can see him do some things athletically that demonstrate he would be a very athletic offensive or defensive lineman."
Jenkins, who cracks the books as hard as he does opposing running backs, was looking for a school that could feed his academic appetite as well as his hunger on the gridiron. Whalen provided the no-nonsense, shoot-you-straight attitude that Jenkins was looking for.
"I did a lot of camps (before the season) and my mom found Wesleyan because of it's academics. They had a prospect camp so I did that and I really liked the school and coach Whalen, he was big factor," said Jenkins. "He's (Whalen) not one of those guys who was leading me on. He's down to Earth. I really got a good feeling when I went to the campus."
Jenkins' high standards for where he will continue his football and academic campaigns should come as no surprise. The past two seasons under Morency, the Generals lost only four games, made their first postseason and Super Bowl appearances while changing the overall perception of Hamilton-Wenham football. While there were a lot of different parts to mix, few had more impact or value than Jenkins.
"There's a lot of reasons why we had the run that we had, but Shane certainly had a hand in it as much as anybody," said Morency. "He has a lot of poise. During certain, crunch-time situations he gets a level head. When we needed points or yards or a big play, we leaned on him and we would run behind him."
Morency recalls this year's game against North Reading, in which the Generals fell behind early before the offense found its bearings in the second half. While the offense struggled, the defense locked down behind big plays from its linebackers, Jenkins in particular.
In the playoff win over Newburyport, Jenkins mauled receivers off the line before dropping into pass coverage. Perhaps the ultimate demonstration of his versatility Jenkins, who was the Generals' punter, handled a bad snap over his head with one hand before getting off a booming punt. Considering the 7-0 win over the Clippers, field position was of utmost importance and the game could have turned had it not been for Jenkins' soft hands and ability to think on his feet.
It was all part of a growing process that began his freshman season with Morency and will continue hopefully, through his senior season under Whalen.
"I felt more mature, in school, in life and in football," Jenkins said about his 2011 season. "And in football I think I grew as a lineman. I started both ways and I think being a captain helped me with my leadership and my confidence."
As that confidence grew, Jenkins became more vocal with his coaches providing his own reactions and ideas to the game plan. With a high football IQ and the confidence to voice his opinion, Jenkins is the perfect player for a cerebral coach like Morency, a trend that should continue with Whalen at Wesleyan.
"He's a very intelligent player, someone who will add input and feedback to the game plan. He's a kid who gets it as a leader. When he speaks, he's usually on the money," said Morency. "There's so many dimensions to the kid as far as what he can do as a football player and he seems to be skyrocketing at the right time."
But Jenkins knows success is an uphill battle and at the end of each day, you need to be closer to the summit than the day before. With a Tom Brady-like work ethic, Jenkins is always working to improve, making sure his best days are still ahead of him. It's an attitude he'll need to keep to crack into the Saturday line up at Wesleyan sooner rather than later.
"Wesleyan plays a lot of young guys. They had a lot of freshman starting," said Jenkins. "Coach did a great job recruiting so I'm going to have to work hard in order to see the field."
Whatever obstacle presents itself, Jenkins has the tools to overcome it.
