Henselmeier earns Most Inspirational Award, scholarship

SAN DIEGO – Devan Henselmeier, a senior from Santana High School, has been selected from a pool of San Diego county student-athletes to receive the 2016 Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award.

Henselmeier, will be presented with a $2,000 scholarship on the field at the National Funding Holiday Bowl on December 27^th.

The Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player program aims to recognize a San Diego County high school football player “who, through their presence, actions and words of encouragement, serves as an inspirational example to their teammates.”

Henselmeier, who plays as a defensive end for the Santana High School varsity football team, is a long-time football player with a passion for the game. At the beginning of the 2015 football season, Devan’s mother lost her fight to breast cancer. Despite going through the battle of losing his biggest fan, he still had an outstanding junior year. Henselmeier totaled 11.5 sacks, made first team all-league, and received the co-defensive team MVP award.

However, in the final game of his junior year, a knee injury ended his season early. Devan went eight months without a diagnosis. Two weeks before camp started, Devon found out that he had torn his MCL, ACL and meniscus. At this time, Devan’s MCL and meniscus had healed on their own, but his ACL was still torn. The doctor gave him two options: play and risk re-injuring his knee, or forfeit his senior year and undergo surgery. Devan chose to play his entire senior year with only a brace as support. He had the opportunity to play alongside his team in the CIF Division IV Championship Game, as well as represent his mother in the month of October, during which the football team wore her initials over pink wristbands in each game.

Overcoming abundant adversity through his high school football career, Devan continues to serve as a source of inspiration for his teammates and coaches, and is certainly deserving of the Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award.

The Dr Pepper Most Inspirational Player Award is supported by Rock 105.3, XTRA 1360 Fox Sports San Diego, and the Kiwanis Club of San Diego.