It seems ironic that Clinton High School chose a Dark Horse as its athletics mascot. When it comes to North Carolina AA football programs, Clinton has become the the model most schools in its classification strive to emulate.

Playoff berths are routine in the small Eastern N.C. outpost. State championships have become the expectation for locals. As for a football factory, you would be hard pressed to find another in-state school that produces more Divison I college players on an annual basis.

Mix it together and you have a bona fide prep powerhouse — not the underdog the nickname suggests.

But then there's Leonard Henry, a hometown hero who was given the "Skinner" moniker for his slender physique. Of all the players who passed through the program, he wasn't the one for whom many predicted a career of carrying the laces and leather on Sunday afternoons.

Who would?

His somewhat waif-like build was enough to keep many of the nation's high-profile programs off his doorstep. Of those who did court Henry, not all promised him a shot at the position for which he had a burning passion — running back.

At least, not until former East Carolina coach Steve Logan called.

Fast forward to 2004 and Henry has made the leap from rural Clinton to metropolitan Miami, where he now is a member of the running back rotation with the Dolphins. The slow pace in which he found great comfort has been replaced with the glamour and glitz of South Beach.

With the potential for trouble right around the corner, Henry has turned to a higher power to keep himself in check.

"I've given my life to Christ," Henry said. "I've been through a whole lot of things and God has given me the strength to carry on and go through all the things that I've been through.

"It's been a whirlwind for me down here. Not only down here, but just in life because I've been through a lot."

In fact, the Dolphins running back has endured more during the last calendar year than most do in an entire career.

There was an assignment in NFL Europe, the NFL's developmental league. That was followed by the misfortune of an injury that sent him home.

Next came the ongoing Ricky Williams saga, which many thought would open a roster spot for the former ECU standout. However, the acquisition of Lamar Gordon sent Henry to the practice squad, a stay that would be short-lived due to injuries to several Dolphins runners.

Through it all, though, Henry has persevered and is finally getting his shot at football's highest level. In just his second game — a start against the Jets on October 3rd — he scampered 85 yards on 18 carries, including an impressive 53-yard dash.

But just as expected, Henry downplayed his performance and focused on the result, a 17-9 loss.

"It's all about winning," Henry said. "Stats don't win a game. Fortunately that was a great run. It was well-blocked, executed, and everything worked on that play. At the end of the day it matters whether or not you won or you lost."

Entering his third year in the NFL, the former 7th-round pick says he now is growing more comfortable with the sights and sounds of pro ball.

The transition took a while, but Henry believes that is standard protocol for a sport that varies dramatically on the college and pro levels.

"It's different," Henry said. "Everyone is fast. Everyone is quick. Everyone is smart.

"That's why it takes the preparation of this game so you can get an edge over a guy. Everyone is big and fast and strong right now. The difference is the speed of the game is played so fast and fought so quick. In the NFL, it's going on instinct."

Because of the speed and physical nature of the NFL, Henry has had to adjust to sharing time with other backs. During his senior season with the Pirates, he rarely took a breather and his backups hardly saw the field as a result.

Following a combined 40 carries against the Steelers and Jets, Henry understands why splitting time is a necessity.

"After the game (against the Jets), I really realized that running backs are a special breed in the NFL," Henry said. "Guys who have played longer than three or four years and taken that pounding... oh wow, it's real.

"You really have to take care of your body. You really have to be smart with a lot of things that you do because your body is all you have. You want to take care of it, stay on top of it."

Staying prepared can be difficult at times on a team still adjusting on the fly to the aftermath of Williams' sudden retirement in the off-season and the melodrama surrounding his recent request for reinstatement. On top of that, there has been the distraction of the questionable status of Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt and the frustration of a winless record.

Thankfully, Henry has a trusted confidant in Dolphins assistant Bernie Parmalee, with whom he has forged a strong bond. There also are the regular phone calls to his former teammates at East Carolina, the men he calls his family.

Former standouts David Garrard and Charlie Robinson are among those on Henry's speed dial.

"I talk to most of the guys from time to time," Henry said. "It's real important that we keep in touch with one another because we're brothers. We went through a lot there at East Carolina. That's what made us so tight with one another."

It's also what keeps Henry tuned in to his alma mater.

"I'm keeping up with them every game," he said. "That's where it all started for me. That's where I put a lot of work into that program — myself and all the other former Pirate guys who went through there.

"We're associated with that. So, when ECU loses, we lose. When (the Pirates) are struggling, we're struggling."

For Henry, that struggle hasn't come without its rewards.

He finally has security on an NFL roster and a spot in the playing rotation. He has established new friendships with his Dolphins brethren while maintaining the strong bonds formed at ECU.

All in all, it's been a pretty good ride for the skinny Dark Horse from Clinton.