There’s Plenty of Rhyme and Rhythm to His Ways

Can you be a poet and a football player? Can you be an artist and a basketball player? Can you be a salsa dancer and a break dancer?

Taylor Henry, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound sophomore at North Hollywood Campbell Hall, is not afraid to be different. His mind is open to learning, experimenting and exploring.

“Even though I know I can’t do everything, I do a lot of things,” he said.

At 15, he’s a standout defensive end with 14 sacks in only his second year of organized football. He also should be the starting power forward for a Viking basketball team that’s coming off a 32-0 season. Most of all, he’s no jock.

His friends might spend free time watching an NFL or NBA game on television. Not Henry.

“I can’t really say I enjoy watching [sports], and I don’t,” he said.

Instead, he’ll watch a music video, write poetry or draw sketches. He’s into dancing, but don’t expect him to emulate Warren Sapp of the Oakland Raiders.

“I don’t celebrate when I get a sack because there’s a whole lot of quarters ahead,” he said. “You’d cause a 15-yard penalty. I celebrate after the game.”

His football coach, Russell Gordon, has noticed that Henry undergoes a change when the game begins.

“He’s quiet and shy, but when he gets on the field, he’s a madman,” Gordon said.

Henry had 21 sacks when he played for Los Angeles Ribet Academy as a freshman. He has stepped into the starting lineup for Campbell Hall (6-1), one of the contenders to win the Southern Section Division XIII championship.

“His first step is the fastest [of any player] I’ve ever coached,” Gordon said. “In practice, when we want to get our tackle better, we put him there to get his butt kicked [by Henry].”

Henry intends to keep seeking new challenges on and off the field.

“You can do anything if you put your mind to it,” he said.

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Toby Gerhart of Norco is 479 yards from becoming the state’s all-time leader in yards rushing. But football might not even be his best sport.

Gerhart has put himself in position to become a first-round choice in the amateur baseball draft in June. His tremendous speed, 38-inch vertical leap and hitting power wooed scouts over the summer.

Gerhart, who plays center field, is keeping his options open. Besides his weekly football obligations, he’s playing twice a week for scout baseball teams.

And Gerhart isn’t the Southland’s only elite running back taking a look at baseball. Junior Marc Tyler of Westlake Village Oaks Christian and sophomore Milton Knox of Lake Balboa Birmingham plan to play baseball this spring for the first time in high school after being standouts in youth ball.

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There are five Gerharts enrolled at Norco this year. Besides Toby and brother Garth, a junior offensive lineman, three Gerhart sisters are playing sports as freshmen -- triplets Teagan, Kelsey and Whitley. All are playing volleyball, basketball and softball. And the last of the Gerhart children, 11-year-old Collin, is another athlete.

Their father, Norco football Coach Todd Gerhart, credits his wife, Lori, a former basketball standout at Norco, for the children’s success. “She’s got the genes,” he said.

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The football team that everyone in Southern Section Division IV should fear over the next month is Westlake Village Westlake (2-5, 1-3). The Warriors finally got all three of their injured NCAA Division I prospects -- defensive end Jeff Miller, running back Jeff Rapoport and defensive back Marlon Bills -- to play for the first time together last week. The result: a 44-14 rout of Agoura.

Calabasas, Newbury Park and Moorpark must still face the Warriors in Marmonte League play. Look for Westlake to win out, but their chances of making the playoffs could be difficult.

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Summer passing leagues aren’t always a good indication of whether a team will succeed when pads are finally put on, but quarterback Lee Mondol of Ventura hasn’t cooled off after his red-hot summer.

He has been accurate and largely mistake-free in helping lead the Cougars to a 7-0 start. He has completed 59% of his passes with only two interceptions. It should be the game of the year in Ventura County on Nov. 4, when Ventura plays Ventura St. Bonaventure (7-0) to decide the Channel League title.

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This just in from the basketball shoe wars: Woodland Hills Taft has switched sponsors, from Nike to Adidas.

Taft has requested it be supplied with the latest Tracy McGrady shoes. Whether that means the Toreadors will be able to beat Nike-sponsored Westchester, L.A. Fairfax or Santa Ana Mater Dei remains to be seen because they could use another rebounder to go along with their terrific trio of guards in senior Calvin Haynes and sophomores Larry Drew Jr. and Oscar Bellfield.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.