Junior running back Elijah Hensley's career almost ended at Daily Stadium last season.
Playing for Ensworth as a sophomore, he suffered a compound fracture to his tibia and fibula, putting him out for almost year. In addition to his recovery, Hensley wanted "a change of scenery," transferring from Ensworth to Lipscomb Academy in the summer.
In his return to Ensworth on Sept. 18, Hensley let his former team know that he was back.
Hensley rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns inLipscomb Academy's (3-2, 1-0 AAA West) romping 49-14 win over Ensworth (3-2, 1-0 AAA East).
"I told him (Hensley) that I'm more proud of you as a man," Lipscomb Academy coach Trent Dilfer said. "He's come off a catastrophic injury, like maybe won't play football again. He comes
back, it's been hobbling him, but he's in the treatment room and doing the extra work. He's doing all the things a pro does."
As the first practices of the season rolled around, Hensley wasn't getting a ton of touches and wasn't at 100%, but he said that it wasDilfer's patience that allowed him to reach his full potential.
"(Dilfer) let me know that he wasn't judging me when I was having an off day," Hensley said. "He gave me room to grow, even though he knew I was going through something."
According to Dilfer, Lipscomb's running back room has dominated despite a smaller number of touches per game. Hensley finished with just eight carries. Senior running back and Duke commit Mikel Stephens had the ball the most with 106 yards rushing on 14 carries. In total, the Mustangs ran the ball 36 times.
"We really haven't had a lot of offensive plays," Dilfer said. "I'm used to 70 (plays) a game and we're getting 48, 50. He (Hensley) never complained or flinched. We knew this was an important game for him going against his old school so we rested him this week and he answered the bell."
It’s @elijahDhensley’s turn as he takes it 18 yards in for the score. @LAmustangFB is back to a two possession lead.
— Jack Williams (@jackgwilliams) September 19, 2026
21-7 Mustangs pic.twitter.com/jZ8gjzcK5q
It's a result Hensley and the Mustangs will remember, scoring the most points against Ensworth since Aug. 27, 2021 which was a 52-28 loss to Baylor in Chattanooga. It was the most points the Tigers have given up at home since a 49-7 loss to Brentwood Academy on Oct. 2, 2015.
Junior quarterback Myles Teague was 9-of-11 passing for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Juniors Jaxson Spencer and Gregory Kirwan and senior Drew Rempel all caught touchdowns. Senior Kaleb Groomes returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown.
"I'm really pleased with how we're getting better," Dilfer said. "That's really been the focus since Day 1. We know we're super young and inexperienced, but Year 1 is always about building mentality."
It could've been easy for Hensley to get caught up in the emotions of his return to Ensworth, but to him, this is just another victory.
"I didn't want to make it bigger than it was and I took it play after play,' Hensley said.
Reach The Tennessean and The Leaf-Chronicle's high school writer, Jack Williams at jackwilliams@theleafchronicle.com and on the X platform @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Lipscomb Academy's Elijah Hensley came full circle to defeat Ensworth
