By Jordan Burton
Webb City, MO – You may not know the name Durand Henderson yet, but you will soon enough.
In what has been an illustrious line of running backs under legendary head coach John Roderique, Henderson might be the next elite back at Webb City.
The sophomore rushed for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, helping the Cardinals advance to the Class 4 – District 5 championship game with a 42-6 win over visiting West Plains on Friday.
Henderson, who entered the game with just 262 yards and a pair of scores all season, was one of several underclassmen that made key contributions on Friday.
Freshman Terrel Kabala scored the game’s first touchdown on an 11-yard reverse just two minutes in, capping a drive that was started by a big kickoff return from Henderson.
Henderson would find paydirt himself just four minutes later with a seven-yard run.
“We’ve got a lot more experience now and we’ve seen some of our younger guys like Terrel and Durant step up for us,” said Roderique. “We’re playing a lot of young guys and if you look back at the beginning of the season I wasn’t sure how we’d start but I figured we’d get better by the end of the year because we’d have a lot more experience and I think it’s just a product of that.”
Webb City’s defense was presented a challenge in the form of Keegan Hoopes.
The senior back entered Friday with an Ozark Conference-high 2,135 yards and 35 touchdowns. Hoopes had rushed for at least 100 yards and multiple touchdowns in all 10 of West Plains’ games entering Friday – including seven 200-yard games.
But the Cardinals defense held Hoopes and the Zizzers in check all night.
West Plains totaled just 17 yards in the first half and its lone first down came via a Webb City penalty. Hoopes finished with a season-low 61 yards on 18 carries and was held scoreless for the first time since last year’s district game at Webb City.
The Zizzers finished with just 160 yards of total offense.
“Our defense was really good all night long, especially the older guys,” said Roderique. “No question that we owned the line of scrimmage, I thought our guys did a nice job at the line on both sides and when that happens you’ve got a chance to be successful.”
West Plains is no stranger to playing the Cardinals in win-or-go-home situations – three of their last five seasons have ended in Webb City – but like so many teams that make the bus ride to the football Mecca, being mentally prepared to beat the Cardinals’ tradition is easier said than done.
“It’s tough to get your kids of the mental hurdle of playing Webb City,” said West Plains coach Steve Ary. “We’re warming up and they’re watching Webb City stretch. They’re looking at the jumbotron. They know so much about the mystic of Webb City and spent a lot of time soaking it in. It’s hard to get over that.
“We really need to get in a game like this and make it a fight; we need to get here and compete. Our kids are seeing it and what it takes to win at this level and any time you’re able to get to this point you’re able to grab positives from it. I think we’ve got a chance to improve next year.”
Following the win, Coach Roderique addressed his team, asking if anyone knew who was on the other side of the bracket.
He paused for a second with the full attention of his team and every eyeball placed firmly on him. Webb City’s win set up a titanic rematch with rival Carl Junction. The Bulldogs opened the season with a 23-7 win over Webb City in Week 1 – their first since each team wore leather helmets and balls were still made from pigskin.
Roderique avoided giving CJ any bulletin board material, but both he and his team is aware of the opportunity in front of them.
“Obviously, they’re an outstanding team and they beat us the first game of the season,” said Roderique. “I’m sure they’ve improved since the beginning of the year and I think we have too so we’ll see. We’re excited to have the chance to play for a district championship.”
Carl Junction will host Webb City on Friday night at 7 p.m. (if you get there after 4 good luck finding a parking spot/seat).
Webb City 42, West Plains 6
West Plains 0-0-0-6 – 6
Webb City 21-14-7-0 – 42
First Quarter
WC – Terrel Kabala 11 run (Dakota Southard kick)
WC – Durand Henderson 7 run (Southard kick)
WC – Alex Gaskill 22 pass from Cash Link (Southard kick)
Second Quarter
WC – Elijah Morgan 28 pass from Cole Beason (Southard kick)
WC – Cameron Baker 3 run (Southard kick)
Third Quarter
WC – Henderson 77 run (Southard kick)
Fourth Quarter
WP – Nick Osmun 3 run (kick fail)
