Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Henley versatile
Kaden Henley has a couple of reasons for wearing No. 44 for Shiloh Christian. The 6-2, 225-pound junior is an inside linebacker for the Saints (13-1) who also excels on special teams and on occasion the offensive side. But primarily Henley is a linebacker and has that linebacker mentality and swagger.
SPRINGDALE — Kaden Henley has a couple of reasons for wearing No. 44 for Shiloh Christian.
The 6-2, 225-pound junior is an inside linebacker for the Saints (13-1) who also excels on special teams and on occasion the offensive side. But primarily Henley is a linebacker and has that linebacker mentality and swagger.
“There are two reasons, really, why I wear that number,” Henley said. “One is my dad had a player that went on to play at Oregon State — Jabral Johnson — who was a role model in my life.
“The second … I’m a big Brian Bosworth fan. I’ve watched the 30-For-30 on him and he balled. He played hard, especially in college.”
Henley even went so far as to try and convince his Shiloh Christian teammates to bleach their hair, as Bosworth did at the University of Oklahoma back in the 1980s. But alas, Henley was unable to coax the other Saints to go platinum, so he’ll have to be content with making his opponents’ hair go white.
In 14 games this season, Henley has more than 150 tackles with 25 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 4 interceptions in leading a swarming Shiloh Christian defense that has allowed just 31 points in four playoff games. The Saints came close to posting their second shutout in the postseason last week in a 56-7 dismantling of Stuttgart, allowing a late fourth-quarter TD in the mercy-rule win.
Henley’s father is Shiloh Christian linebackers coach Ashley Henley. Being the son of a coach gives Henry insight that has proven to be very beneficial to the Saints’ defense, Coach Jeff Conaway said.
“It’s great. It’s a blessing,” Conaway said. “Caden plays on all three phases of the game, so to have another coach out there just really makes our job easier, makes his teammate’s job easier and you just feel like you’ve got a little bit more control.
“You have a little bit more confidence out there when a guy like Kaden is playing because of his football IQ and just his confidence.”
Henley said that being the son of a coach is not always rosy.
“There’s good times and there’s bad times,” Henley said. “It depends on how well I’m playing. As I’ve gotten older, he’s calmed down a little bit. He just always made sure I understood everything.”
Shiloh Christian will face its toughest test this season at 12:10 p.m. on Saturday when it takes on Rivercrest (13-0) in the Class 4A state championship at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. It will be Shiloh Christian’s second consecutive state championship game appearance. Last season, the Saints fell to Joe T. Robinson 56-28 in the title game.
The program has won seven state titles, but none since the 2010 season when the Saints completed a three-year dominance of Class 4A with three consecutive state titles, led by quarterback Kiehl Frazier and a talented defense led by Samuel Harvill.
Henley said the players on this year’s Shiloh Christian team are well aware of the legacy.
“We hear stories about them all the time,” he said. “Hopefully we can recreate it.”
Shiloh Christian, which flourished in the 1990s under Gus Malzahn as an offensive juggernaut, has advanced to the title game because of its defense this season, particularly in the playoffs. Defense and special teams were huge last week with two blocked punts and a 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
“It’s so enjoyable how well the defense is playing and rewarding to see because I see what Jacob Gill and his coaching staff on the defensive side of the football do week in and week,” said Conaway, who is in his seventh season at Shiloh Christian. “We’ve made great strides defensively and even special teams. It’s just very rewarding to see them reap some love from other people and for our defense to be playing as well as it’s playing because I know those guys work so hard and they’ve earned this opportunity.”