In three years, senior tackle Nathaniel Henderson has come a long way for Oak Forest.
Due to his mom’s safety concerns, Henderson never played in a youth football program, but when he got to high school, she gave him her blessing. And he seized the opportunity.
Now, he’s the leader not only on the offensive line, where he plays left tackle, but as a captain of the entire team. Thus, his path has been from an outsider to the limelight.
“Anybody who starts football for the first time, it’s a mental block,” Henderson said of his first few practices during the pandemic in spring 2021. “They are worried about if I hit this the wrong way, I might get injured.
“I kind of had to accept the fact that injuries are going to happen. Once I got past that point, I played as physical as I could until I could get better.”
The 6-foot-1, 275-pound Henderson played junior varsity in his first season for the Bengals, then a few months later in the fall found himself starting at left guard.
Of course, Henderson was a bit nervous, but thanks to former players like center Parker Lewandowski, he was able to thrive. What did he learn?
“The first thing I heard was, ‘Live in the weight room,'” Henderson said. “So the weight room was the first thing, and sophomore year was the year I got the tips to play.
“And confidence was the big thing.”
Henderson has been a big thing so far for Oak Forest (1-2, 1-0), which led from start to finish Friday in opening up South Suburban Blue play with a 15-12 win over Bremen.
Beating district rival Bremen (2-1, 0-1) allowed the Bengals to take home the traveling trophy for the first time since spring 2021. It was particularly satisfying for Henderson.
“It’s a team we definitely should have beat in the past years,” Henderson said. “But again, it was shooting ourselves in the foot with mistakes, so it felt good to limit those mistakes and actually get a win and get the trophy back where it belongs.”
Oak Forest coach Anthony Malopsy, who was hired before the 2021 fall season, was impressed right away with Henderson.
“I came in that summer, and that’s the first time I saw Nate,” Malopsy said. “And we were like ‘we’ve got something here’ with his frame and his work ethic.
“He’s going to be a big part of our success.”
Next up for the Bengals is another perennial playoff qualifier in Hillcrest (2-1, 0-1). Bremen has back-to-back appearances in Class 6A and the Hawks have the same in 5A.
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For Oak Forest, it begins with Henderson. He has meticulous attention to detail, becoming a master technician at left tackle by watching film and following directions.
Then there’s his leadership.
“He has really taken a step forward as leader,” Malopsy said. “Not only as a vocal leader but communicating with his teammates about being at practice on time or staying on top of their grades or having the right attire at practice.”
That’s called paying it forward, considering all the help Henderson received from Lewandowski and the rest of the offensive line when he was a rookie.
Henderson hopes his impact will extend beyond Oak Forest into college, something he relishes. He has received a bunch of interest but no offers yet.
The process has been meticulous, as everything else in his life.
“At first, you get the buzz of colleges want me,” he said. “I went on a couple of visits and went to camps, I had a couple of interviews, and then it got to the point where some teams took a step back.
“It was really me recognizing the process and realizing how to approach it.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.