LAKELAND, Fla. -- Ever since 8^th grade, Cade Denhoff has been a star in the making.

But don’t try to bring that up with him. For Denhoff, talk is a distraction.

“I’ve heard from a few people since I got here that I could turn into something,” said Denhoff, who stands at roughly 6’4”, 235lbs. “I focus on being a leader and giving 100%, get my work done, and then go home at the end of the day.”

“He’s always worked hard since he was an eighth grader,” said Lakeland Christian football head coach Danny Williams. “His parents really push him hard. He gets it from us, he gets it from his parents at the house – he’s got a great foundation.”

Denhoff is one of the best defensive ends in the 2021 recruiting class and is committed to Clemson. But watching him practice, you’d think he was still trying to get his first college offer.

“He’s just a great guy to be around, he is always positive and upbeat,” said Lakeland Christians senior linebacker Jacob Oxendine. “He’s just somebody you look up to and you want to be like him.”

“He works hard whether he’s coming out here to work or he’s getting up at six in the morning to train, he is doing everything he can,” said Williams.

This season, Denhoff has progressed into the role of team leader. Not just in the way he plays, but the way he speaks.

“I’ve always been a leadership personality in actions, but I have worked on being vocal definitely around the team and even around school,” said Denhoff, who is the second-best strongside defensive end in the state and ranked as the seventh-best SDE in the nation.

Being a leader on the field for Lakeland Christian means playing all three phases of the game. Most high-level recruits might avoid that role – not Denhoff. 

“That’s one of the biggest things here, since I’ve been here, you are all over the field,” Denhoff said. “You play offense, defense, special teams, all the guys do and we take pride in that because that’s how we win.”

Winning is what drives Denhoff into the 2020 season.  Last year the Vikings made it all the way to the state semifinals for the first time since 2014.

“This is my last opportunity to win a state championship in high school,” said Denhoff.

Denhoff will do whatever it takes to win that state title before he heads to Clemson. If that means playing every snap all season long, so be it.

“He doesn’t take reps off,” Williams said. “Some guys take reps off so they can save themselves offensively, or on the other side of the ball. He doesn’t do that.”

Denhoff is hoping to inspire his team across the finish line and deliver the program’s first ever-state championship. But more important, Denhoff wants to leave being a legacy that can influence Viking football players for generations to come.

“What was the character of the kid,” said Denhoff. “Did he lead well? Was he a good kid in school? Was it only on the field that he showed out or was it in the classroom, and leading other people in school? What was the character of the guy.”