Djouvensky (Ben) Schlenbaker is already a success story, even without the new offers coming in and the fact that his football future looks exceedingly bright.
He was adopted out of Haiti in 2010 by two people who heard a genuine calling on the heels of a devastating earthquake that hit Hispaniola; an Island in the Caribbean that is shared by Haiti and the Dominic Republic.
Kendra and Brett Schlenbaker (pictured) moved quickly to bring Djouvensky, aka “Ben” back to their home and adopt him — and now Kendra couldn’t be prouder of the efforts her son has made on the football field.
In fact, when I spoke to Ben, he wasn’t sure what his 2019 season stats were, so Kendra got on the phone and seemed to know them all by heart, “He has 283 carries for 2148 yards, 27 touchdowns, 18 receptions and 143 receiving yards, and one touchdown (receiving)”, she explained, “Do you need his defensive stats?”
What began as a true rescue mission for a little guy from Haiti, has now turned into an extraordinary blessing where this junior in high school is going to wind up playing D1 football — and most likely for a Power Five program. Not to mention getting a first-class education where he wants to major in Architectural Engineering.
“I’ve been talking to the running back coach”, Ben explained about his contact with Washington, noting that the Huskies have been a team he’s been cheering on since he first came to the Pacific Northwest as a youngster, “If they offered it would be a good one for me.”
Ben has four offers on the table already; Cal, Air Force, Virginia Tech, and Washington State.
Washington could be next…
If you watch his film you do see a lot of versatility; at 6-1 and-a-half, 205 he’s strong and patient between the tackles but also on the outside where he has the quickness and agility to make guys miss. He’ll take it up the gut or cut to the outside and take it to the house.
“Coach KB told me I’m a mix of all of them”, Ben said when asked what kind of back he is and what his strengths are, “I feel like I’m calm in every situation (at tailback)”.
Ben is patient and shows excellent vision — something Bhonapha loves to see in his tailbacks at Washington.
The problem now is that we won’t be able to see Ben on the field at Squalicum High School in Bellingham until 2021; it was announced yesterday that the WIAA has postponed high school football until February 22nd — but there will be no slowdown for this in-state athlete.
Ben will continue to work out and get ready to take the next step in a journey.
Expect his stock to go up soon…
