Once a Novan, always a Novan
As WHS football plays for a Super Bowl title, no one is beaming with more pride than Principal Henderson
He yearned to lend assistance to the football program that will forever hold a special place in his heart.
The temptation was there, but deep down,
Carnell Henderson knew he couldn’t pull the trigger.
He was no longer Coach
Henderson, the same coach who also starred as a slot receiver for
Woonsocket
High during the late 1980s/ early 1990s.
These days he’s known as Principal Henderson, the leader and public face of the high school located on Cass Ave. In his administrative capacity, Henderson saw his Villa Novans struggle, the years of contending for Super Bowl titles replaced with lopsided losses and a wavering respectability.
“They hadn’t been spoken about. They were a non-entity in the state of Rhode Island,” said Henderson, appointed as Woonsocket’s principal prior to the 2014-15 school year. From 2014 through the 2017 campaign, the Novans won just five league games compared to 23 defeats and cycled through two head coaches.
Some of those lean years came with Woonsocket miscast as a Division I participant. Still, it was hard to ignore what was a sharp downward spiral when comparing it to Coach Henderson’s sideline and playing tenure with the Novans.
From 2008-13, Woonsocket reached three Super Bowls, winning back-to-back Division II crowns in 2009-10. Henderson endured just one losing season during a proud era for a city native who during his WHS playing days was part of a team that went undefeated (9-0) during the 1989 regular season before losing in the Class A championship game. Success begets success and that proved to be the case on multiple platforms with Henderson and Villa Novan football.
Sitting in his office a few days before Woonsocket’s Division II Super Bowl clash against East Greenwich
that kicks off today at high noon from Cranston Stadium, Henderson spoke about being principal of a school with a football team that’s reached the final destination that serves as the driving purpose of every R.I. squad when preseason practice commences in August.
Getting to Championship Day is a reward unto itself. For Henderson, it’s about watching with great interest as a program successfully turned the corner after four trying seasons. When he coached, he often spoke about the journey and how it needs to be savored.
Referring to the 2018 Novans, Henderson embarked on a hands-off journey that has proven just as rewarding as his WHS coaching and playing days.
“Proud is an understatement,” said Principal Henderson. “It actually gives me chills.”
Old habits die hard. Once a football coach, always a football coach. For Hender- son, becoming a top-level administrator meant the notion of drawing up plays and motivating young men had to be removed from his personal equation. Easier said than done, yet it was necessary if the Novans were going to forge their own identity in the post-Henderson era.
“The toughest part was knowing that I could help but also feeling I could hurt more than I could help. I didn’t want it to be fragmented with the coaches or kids looking at me and wondering, ‘When is he coming?’” Henderson explained. “It was tough to make a clean break, especially when they were struggling.”
The invitation for Henderson to remain involved in the Woonsocket football operation has been there. Current head coach Charlie Bibeault will tell Henderson that it’s fine to stop by Barry Field during practice. Don’t worry about stepping on anyone’s toes. Once a Novan, always a Novan.
To Henderson, watching Woonsocket’s games on the team’s Hudl account satisfies his Novan pigskin fix. He can remain behind the scenes and avoid the slippery slope. After all, he is their principal, not their coach.
“People tell me all the time that I would have enjoyed coaching this group, but I would have enjoyed coaching every team over the past few years. Coaching is something I love to do,” said Henderson. “I can tell you that it will be easier to show up to a few practices in the years coming. If I go, I’m just another person there. That’s the way it should be.”
Henderson can recite the wide-ranging emotions heading into a Super Bowl chapter and verse. He knows what it’s like to walk into Cranston Stadium and stand 48 minutes away from winning a title. On the surface, he would appear the perfect person to deliver one of those patent pregame speeches that helps to put everything into proper perspective.
To become involved, even if it’s for purely motivational reasons, would be crossing a line. This is their time, not his.
“I’ve spoken to Charlie and (assistant coach Patrick Pass). That’s enough,” said Henderson. “I speak to players individually. I see them in the hallways and I have my ways of sending messages. They don’t need a rah-rah speech from Principal Henderson. They need a congratulatory message from Principal Henderson after they go out there.
“It’s about them right now,” added Henderson. “I’ve had my time and enjoyed a great run. Now I’m their biggest fan.”
A role that suits Principal Henderson just fine.