Middleboro’s Vincent Henry Happy Being Close to Home at Bridgewater State

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The distance between his home in Middleboro and the campus of Bridgewater State University is just a few miles

Vincent Henry, however, did not take the short, direct route to BSU after graduating from Middleboro High School in 2009.

Instead, he wound up going 260 miles away to begin life as a college student, enrolling at Husson University in Bangor, Maine, where he played football and majored in business.

After two years up north, though, Henry decided to return home in 2011 and play football at BSU in addition to becoming a communications major at the school not far from his hometown.

"At first, I wanted to go away from home for school,'' said Henry, a senior cornerback at BSU. "That's the reason I went farther away. I said, 'I don't want to go to Bridgewater. It'd be like going to Middleboro High.''

"But I ended up coming here. It's funny how it works. I'm definitely happy. It's worked out really good.''

Academically, Henry has been able to concentrate on visual production studies, which will help in his pursuit of a career as a director.

Football-wise, Henry stepped right into the Bears' starting lineup last season and is part of a solid defense that has helped BSU go 9-1 and reach the NCAA Div. 3 tournament this fall.

Henry has intercepted three passes in each of his two seasons with the Bears and made 27 tackles, including 41/2 for a loss, this year. BSU, which received an at-large berth, travels to ninth-ranked Widener University in Chester, Pa., on Saturday afternoon.

"I ended up coming back in part because of the distance,'' said Henry. "It was really far, like a five-hour trip, and hard to get up there. And I was a business hospitality major and I wanted to switch to communications, but they didn't have it up there.''

The Bears are happy that Henry made his way back home since he has been a reliable player for two seasons.

"Vince has been huge,'' said coach Chuck Denune. "He's probably one of the most underrated players on our team. We had three defensive backs named to the all-conference team and Vince wasn't one of them. The other three are, by all means, very deserving, but Vince has flown under the radar.

"This squad knows how big he is for us. We put him on the best receiver every week and he consistently limits them to very minimal production. He's been awesome.''

Instead, he wound up going 260 miles away to begin life as a college student, enrolling at Husson University in Bangor, Maine, where he played football and majored in business.

Henry was a wide receiver when he got to Husson in 2009, but with so many upperclassmen in front of him, he switched to cornerback early in the season and got some playing time on special teams.

That led to a starting assignment at cornerback as a sophomore in 2010 when Henry intercepted three passes and made 26 tackles.

"My whole life, I've always been out there playing, so I just wanted to get on the field anyway I could and contribute to the team,'' said Henry of the move from offense to defense. "It was the best thing I could have done.

"The first game my freshman year, I didn't make the bus (travel team) and I was really devastated about that. I said I've got to see what I can do to get on the field and contribute. I talked to my coaches and made the switch and it worked out great.''

Now, after playing on a 1-9 team in Maine in 2010, Henry is ending his career on a team close to home that is 9-1 and bound for the NCAAs.

"It was a rebuilding year and we went 1-9,'' said Henry. "Now I'm on a team that is 9-1 and I'll tell you, the sky is blue. You don't mind coming to practice when you are 9-1. When it's the other way around, I know the difference of what it is like. It was a tough season.

"I'm definitely happy. It's worked out really good. This year we've been able to put together something special. This might be my last football game ever and I'll still be in touch with all these guys. We'll all be friends forever. We'll be a team forever.''