HOPEWELL, Va. — The eyes of the world will be on Hopewell's hometown hero when former Hopewell High School football star TreVeyon Henderson takes the field Super Bowl Sunday for the New England Patriots.
"I think the city should be very proud. Very proud," Annie Allen said. "After church, I'm looking at football."
The 95-year-old football fan roots for the Philadelphia Eagles most weekends. But this Sunday she's pulling for the Patriots.
"All the way," she said. "Because Henderson is there. I don't know him personally but he's from Hopewell."
Allen lives near Raleigh Street and Carolina Avenue, the Hopewell neighborhood where the rookie running back grew up.
"He's going to make everybody happy," neighbor and fellow Henderson fan Phyllis Butler said.
Donnie Barber typically keeps his Good Ship Brewing & Eatery in Hopewell closed on Sunday. But this Sunday is not a typical Sunday.
"TreVeyon is playing in the Super Bowl," he said. "We'll have all the TVs on the Super Bowl and we have 16 speakers throughout inside and out of Good Ship, so they'll all be tuned in to the game."
Those living in and around Hopewell say they are proud of what Henderson has accomplished.
"How often do you have a guy from your hometown play in the Super Bowl," Barber said.
Most remember his years playing at Hopewell High School where he won a state title in 2019.
"We've watched him grow as an athlete," Henderson fan Tripp Carraway said.
"I think we feel blessed. I mean he's a God-fearing man. I think that has a lot to do with it. I think the roots he set here in Hopewell, I think he arrived to Ohio State and then carried to the Patriots. It's a huge deal," Barber said.
"To see somebody from a small town go to the big leagues, especially their first year in the league, I mean it's a huge deal," Good Ship Brewing & Eatery employee Jason Slaughter said. "Even though I don't personally know him, he's a hometown hero."
"I think it's awesome," Henderson fan Marissa Goodman said. "I think being from a small town, we don't see this stuff often. So I think it's a great excuse for the community to come together and support someone who's really made it big."
Henderson was a second-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 2025 after winning the national college football title at Ohio State. He recently announced he married his fiancé days before the Super Bowl.
Henderson is not the only Patriot from the 804.
Local News
Football players with Virginia connections are headed to the Super Bowl
Morgan Moses was a standout lineman at Meadowbrook High School, Fork Union Military Academy, and the University of Virginia.
The Washington Redskins (now Commanders) drafted the 6'3", 320-pound tackle in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Moses played seven seasons in Washington before spending time with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens.
This is the veteran football player's first season with the New England Patriots.
Moses will be inducted into the Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame this April.
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