Longtime West Plains football fans might think they're having a flashback as they watch number 26 running to daylight these days.
This number 26 reminding them of another 26 back in the late 1980's who rushed for over a thousand yards.. Joby Hoopes.
And that deja-vu feeling is justified because the current number 26 is his son, Keegan, who rushed for over 1,400-yards and 22 touchdowns last year and started this season with 288-yards in his first game, a 42-6 Zizzer win over Waynesville.
Veteran offensive coordinator Scott Womack coached both father and son, and when comparing the two?
"Well, since Keegan is standing here I'm going to say Keegan," Womack says with a smile. "But Keegan does have more speed."
"That means at the dinner table I can mouth-back now," Keegan says of his bragging rights over his father.
Keegan should have a lot more to brag about because with stand-out quarterback Sam Hall graduated, Hoopes will be carrying a lot more of the offensive load this year.
"We feel like we got one of the better backs in the conference," head coach Steve Ary said. "He will get a large amount of carries probably until his tongue hits the ground."
"I enjoy knowing I'm the man," Keegan said of the high expectations.
Always known as a bit of a character with a love for 1950's and 60's music, added some size to his speed this season, bulking-up from 165-pounds to 185. Something he is quite proud of.
"So about every other day you get on facebook and there's a picture of Keegan all stripped-down," Ary said with a laugh. "So he's 'flex-Hoopes' to me. Always flexing on face book. I don't know if he can't get a date or what."
But there are some physical challenges that the all-conference and all-district running back who averaged eight-yards-per-carry last year and 16-yards-per-carry in his first-game this season has had to overcome. He's accomplished all this while being partially-blind.
"My left-eye never fully-developed," he explained. "As far as depth perception, I have none. Last year I couldn't catch a ball to save my life. It's definitely a challenge to begin with."
"There's some situations where he sees better," Ary adds. "But as a head coach I'm always sayin' don't throw him the ball much. Just stick it in his belly."
When Keegan crosses the goal line, West Plains fans yell "Hoopes there it is", happy that the former Willow Springs family moved back to West Plains so their son could follow in his father's footsteps.
"We lived in Willow Springs and they did not offer Mighty Mites in second grade so we drove to West Plains so he did get his start in West Plains," explained Keegan's mom Kimberly. "So it's just perfect that we're ending his high school career here."
