Football tradition at Webb City runs deep

Webb City has long been regarded as one of the top football programs in Missouri.

The Cardinals have won 12 state championships and will go for their fifth straight Class 4 title Saturday when they face Central at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

There's somewhat of a debate in Webb City, Missouri, about who gave the Cardinals the footing needed to become so successful and remain that way for nearly three decades, but current Webb City coach John Roderique gives that distinction to Jerry Kill, who helped them to their first state championship in 1989.

"Well, I think everybody has to point it back to that if you're looking at the overall program success," Roderique said about Kill, the current football coach at the University of Minnesota. "He was at Webb City for two years (1988-1989). I think a lot of people look back at the very first state championship in '89 and kind of say, 'That was where it first started.' I was there a few years before he was, and I've got some classmates that would probably argue that it started before him, but he's kind of the one that gets credit for it I think and deservedly so."

Kill started his coaching career as the defensive coordinator at Division II Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, in 1985.

Three years later, he took his first head coaching job at Webb City, and after leading the Cardinals to a state championship, Kill returned to Pittsburg State as the offensive coordinator.

Roderique graduated from Webb City in 1986 and never played under Kill there.

However, in his senior year, Roderique was recruited by Kill, who convinced him to come play in Pittsburg.

Roderique said Kill's love and passion for football made the decision easy.

"He was probably the biggest reason I went there," Roderique said. "I think the first thing you notice about Jerry Kill is how genuine he is. He's just a very genuine guy who cares a great deal about his kids, and he's just one of those guys that really believes in what he does. As a player, he was one of those guys that really got you to go through the wall for the team no matter what the obstacle was. If we were down or had to make a big play, he always had the right words to say to us to get us playing at the level we were capable of, and I would say a lot of what I do today is because of coach Kill."

Roderique said Kill was also instrumental in getting him involved in coaching. Following his playing days as a linebacker at Pittsburg State, Roderique served as an assistant under Kill for seven seasons.

"Just the way he carried himself on the sidelines, the way he coached his players, made me want to become a coach," Roderique said. "You play this game all your life and you love it, but once it's over, you're not really sure where to go. Jerry was the guy that opened my eyes to the fact that I could coach and have success in a job that I know and enjoy."

Kill also served as a coach at Saginaw Valley State, Emporia Sate, Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. He's been the head coach at Minnesota since 2011.

Roderique said he still talks to Kill on a regular basis about how the Webb City football program has grown over the years.

"We talk on occasion, and I think he's pretty proud of the fact that it's still done pretty well," Roderique said.

Roderique also credits Kurt Thompson with maintaining a successful program at Webb City in the early 1990s. Thompson and Roderique were teammates at Pittsburg State.

After college, Thompson got his first assistant coaching job when he joined Kill at Webb City in 1988. Two years later, Thompson replaced Kill as the coach.

"It's kind of unique that all three of us have some kind of tie there, and we've all had success," Roderique said. "When Kurt took over, it was like he picked up right where Jerry left off. You could say that he had some good players that he kind of inherited from the previous season, but he knew how to coach them. And even when those guys left, he kept winning."

Thompson spent six seasons at the helm of the Cardinals. During that span, he won three state championships with Webb City in 1990, 1992 and 1993.

Roderique was hired in 1997, becoming Webb City's third coach in 10 years. He wasted little time in his first year, leading the Cardinals to their fifth state title with a 44-14 win over North County. Roderique said he knew his team was good from the moment he took the job.

"It wasn't like this was a program that was in bad shape or a rebuilding process, they had had a lot of success," Roderique said about his first season at Webb City. "Looking back, it was pretty good timing on my part, but I didn't want to be the guy that killed this program. From the moment I took over, I knew we could continue to get better and keep having success year after year, and that's what I've tried to do."

Now in his 18th season as the Cardinals' coach, Roderique said he has exceeded even his own expectations. He's widely recognized as one of the top coaches in the state.

Since Roderique's return to his alma mater, Webb City has won 92 percent of its games, making Roderique the winningest coach in Missouri high school football history by percentage.

Roderique has also guided the Cardinals to the Missouri state playoffs in 16 of his 18 seasons, including the last 15 seasons (2000-2014). Under Roderique, the Cardinals have reached the Show-Me Bowl 11 times and have won nine championships.

Roderique said he is proud of those feats and commends his players -- past and present -- for the amount of wins but claims that what sets his program apart from others is the fact that he and his players don't dwell in the past.

"Those are things that you just never think about when you get into this job," Roderique said. "People read me and tell me those numbers all the time, but I think the key for us is that we don't sit around and talk about it. We don't discuss stuff like that. We don't talk about it, and we don't sit around and pat ourselves on the back. We just try to get better each and every year."

Roderique considers his program similar to many others in the sense that they start implementing football and developing talent at a young age. The only difference, according to Roderique, is that Webb City doesn't have to compete with other schools to get talent.

"We're a lot like everybody else, but it's nice being in a one-school town," Roderique said. "All the kids that play youth football or junior high football will all come to Webb City with a lot of experience and they'll have been playing together for a long time, and that's just kind of a small-town thing, I guess. We start camps right away, and I try to stay pretty close to those and make sure that we have a good relationship with them and we're teaching the game to them the same way that they'll be playing it by the time the come up to the high school."

Roderique also said things have remained relatively the same since he took over, which has a lot to do with Webb City's success.

"We're real consistent in what we do. For a stretch of about eight or 10 years there, we didn't change coaches, and we had all the same assistants," Roderique said. "We're not in any hurry to change or modify what we do. A big part are the kids that actually buy into the system and want to win year in and year out. We could be calling the same split-back mirror offense that we've had for years, but if we don't have the kids to run those plays, you could knock off a few state championships. It's about a desire to win and I probably preach that a lot, but these kids get it."

The veteran coach has transferred that same winning tradition over to his own family. Roderique has coached both of his sons and three nephews during his tenure at Webb City.

From 2009-2012, Roderique's oldest son, John, was the Cardinals' quarterback. John helped Webb City win two state titles in 2011 and 2012 and is currently in his sophomore season with Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

This season, Roderique's youngest son, Tyson, has taken over the role, leading the Cardinals to a 14-0 record. Tyson has thrown for 1,143 yards, 16 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Roderique said all three of his nephews also played quarterback for him at one time or another in his career with Webb City.

"I've been really blessed, really fortunate to coach my two sons and three of my nephews. It's been a lot of fun," Roderique said. "As a dad that's a high school football coach, having the opportunity to have your kids play for you in the state championship game is just a dream come true."

Roderique said Webb City will have to rely on its offense to guide them through the title game this weekend. The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 615-101 this season.

He said utilizing the talent of senior standout and wide receiver Kiante Hardin, who has committed to playing for Kill at Minnesota, will be key for the Cardinals' offense. Roderique calls Hardin a "hybrid player" and said he reminds him a lot of Central's Al Young.

This season Roderique and the Cardinals will look to take the all-time series against Central to 2-0, but he is mindful of the additions and adjustments Central has made from last year's semifinal loss.

"I think coach Norman does a very good job and really knows how to run a program over there with a talented team," Roderique said. "They're extremely athletic on both sides of the ball, and I see it being a very exciting game with lots of offense for both teams. The skill positions are stacked. They're a very physical team, and I think their quickness and speed really makes up for any of the size that they're lacking in. It seems like the X-factor for them this year is the quarterback, who can do a lot of things for them. He keeps plays alive with his feet, scrambles well, throws the ball well and really has been a good addition to what they had coming back. We'll have to key in on him and his receivers all day."