Tag: Kayleb Wagner

Kayleb Wagner meets Derrick Henry at Titans-Jaguars game

Kayleb Wagner met Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry after breaking his Florida single-game rushing record.

Kayleb Wagner’s junior season at Baker High School in Florida has been one he will never forget.

Wagner made Florida high football history in September, shattering Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry’s single-game rushing record with a 535-yard, six-touchdown performance. Henry, a former star at Yulee High School, then reached out to Wagner on Instagram to congratulate him on breaking his record — one that had stood for nearly a decade.

On Sunday, the two met face to face before the Titans played the Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Jaguars also provided Wagner with a custom team jersey and custom cleats featuring his name and record-setting statistics.

“He congratulated me again, told me to keep working hard and that he was proud of me,” Wagner said of meeting Henry in an interview with MaxPreps.

Wagner’s record-setting performance made national headlines and his story has served as an inspiration to people across the nation. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back was born without a left hand and part of his left forearm due to amniotic band syndrome and has still been able to dominate on the gridiron while also serving as a role model in his community.

Wagner has been on an absolute tear since the beginning of Baker’s season, as he rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns on just four carries in its season opener against Rocky Bayou Christian. Wagner rushed for 211 yards and a touchdown in a 35-6 win over Jay High School, giving him 1,562 yards so far this season.

“He can run that rock,” Henry said of Wagner in an interview with CBS. “Once he breaks that line, he’s out. I’m happy to be able to meet him and to get to talk and visit with him a little bit. I wish him the best. Records are meant to be broken.”

[lawrence-related id=101488511]

Titans’ Derrick Henry reacts to his high school rushing record being broken

Derrick Henry reached out to Kayleb Wagner, who broke his Florida high school rushing record.

Despite being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Ground Player of the Week, Tennessee Titans players don’t seem fazed by Derrick Henry’s growing list of accomplishments anymore.

“I don’t think there’s any amazement,” Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill said on Wednesday. “He’s proven what he can do, and he goes out and does it. It’s awesome to see what he can do, but I don’t think there’s any amazement because that’s just what Derrick does.”

Henry’s football career has been littered with accolades, including winning the Heisman Trophy at the University of Alabama.

Prior to arriving in Tuscaloosa, the Yulee, Florida native also set the state high school rushing record for most yards in a single game with 502.

Most expected that record never to be broken, but Baker High School junior running back Kayleb Wagner dethroned Henry last Friday, rushing for 535 yards and six touchdowns.

Henry spoke with the Titans media about his record being broken and noted that he’s been in touch with Wagner.

“I think it is incredible,” Henry said. “I thought it was really cool. I got to talk to him a little bit on Instagram and hopefully he breaks some more. That was really cool, definitely an inspiration to me and I am sure he is an inspiration to his team and everybody over there in that community. It was definitely cool to see and hopefully, I can do something for him these upcoming weeks.”

Wagner was born without a left hand and part of his forearm, which makes the feat even more amazing. And, like Henry, Wagner is off to a red-hot start this year.

Before Friday’s record-breaking game, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound back rushed for 267 yards on only four carries, and had four touchdowns in Baker High School’s season opener.

His 535-yard performance is sure to attract a lot of national attention.

“We went back and forth for five minutes or so,” Wagner said of his social media exchange with Henry. “He congratulated me, said he would send me a pair of his cleats and game gloves. It was very, very cool. I think it really hit me then that I had the record.”

As for Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher in back-to-back seasons will prepare to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, a team he’s averaged nearly six yards per carry against in 10 career games.

[lawrence-related id=71985,71972,71890]

[listicle id=72015]

Derrick Henry reaches out to Kayleb Wagner after he breaks his Florida single-game rushing record

The All-Pro running back messaged Wagner on Instagram to congratulate him.

Kayleb Wagner made Florida high school football history last Friday, shattering Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry’s single-game rushing record with a 535-yard, six-touchdown performance in a Baker High School victory.

Wagner’s performance made national headlines and his story has served as an inspiration to people across the nation. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound junior running back was born without a left hand and part of his left forearm due to amniotic band syndrome and has still been able to dominate on the gridiron while also serving as a role model in his community.

Wagner has received countless congratulatory messages since etching his name into Florida’s high school football record book, but one stands out above all else. Henry, a former star at Yulee High School, himself reached out to Wagner on Instagram to congratulate him on breaking his record — one that had stood for nearly a decade.

“We went back and forth for five minutes or so,” Wagner told MaxPreps. “He congratulated me, said he would send me a pair of his cleats and game gloves. It was very, very cool. I think it really hit me then that I had the record.”

Wagner has been on an absolute tear since the beginning of Baker’s season, as rushed for 267 yards and four touchdowns on just four carries in its season opener against Rocky Bayou Christian. Wagner burst onto the scene for Baker as a sophomore, helping the program to a perfect 15-0 record and state championship with over 1,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Wagner starred in Baker’s state title game, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Baker is not the biggest high school in Florida, but it has a larger-than-life player and person in Wagner in the building. When he’s not busy running through defenders, Wagner volunteers his time to numerous school clubs and community organizations. He also mentors youths, including a group of fifth grades.

As special as it was for him to hear from Henry, receiving congratulations from the kids he works with every day stands out to Wagner as the most memorable moment of them all.

“All these kids gave me a standing ovation,” Wagner said. “I love kids. I love them looking up to me to be a role model. It was really special.”

[lawrence-related id=101487242]