When Scott Henderson talks about his football career, he starts with a line that almost undersells everything that came afterward.
“I was just a kicker.”
But when you look at Henderson’s journey—from Woodland Hills to college football, semi-pro football and now training the next generation of specialists around Western Pennsylvania—there was nothing “just” about his role.
In fact, his very first extra-point attempt at Woodland Hills came with a little extra pressure attached.
Welcome to Woodland Hills Football
Henderson was the Woodland Hills placekicker from 1994 through 1997, playing during an important period in the development of a program that would become one of Western Pennsylvania’s most recognizable football powers.
His first extra point came against Penn Hills—and it wasn’t exactly a routine attempt. After Woodland Hills scored, Melvin “Cannonball” Cobbs was penalized for high-stepping into the end zone. The penalty pushed Henderson’s extra-point attempt back to approximately 35 yards.
According to Henderson, Cobbs later told him he did it because the young kicker had to “prove my worth to be on the team.”
No pressure.
Henderson delivered.
Woodland Hills defeated Penn Hills 14-12, and Henderson remembers that game as the beginning of a home winning streak during his time with the Wolverines. He says he never experienced a home loss during his Woodland Hills career.
There was another familiar name on that Woodland Hills coaching staff. Bill Cherpak, who would later become the legendary head coach at Thomas Jefferson, was an assistant and worked with special teams.
Henderson still remembers Cherpak’s straightforward instructions about kicking: “Listen, I don’t know shit about kicking except kick it through the uprights.”
Sometimes football doesn’t need to be complicated.
Making Woodland Hills History
Two years later, Henderson was part of a team that made history. The 1996 Woodland Hills Wolverines captured the program’s first WPIAL football championship, defeating North Allegheny at Three Rivers Stadium.
For Henderson, being part of that first championship team remains a special piece of his football story.
Woodland Hills would go on to become synonymous with WPIAL football excellence and produce generations of college and professional players. Henderson was there when the Wolverines captured that first district crown.
Four Years as a College Starter
His football career didn’t end after high school. Henderson went on to Bethany College, where he became a four-year starting kicker. By his senior season, the guy who once considered himself “just a kicker” had become Bethany’s leading scorer.
He earned second-team all-conference recognition in 2002.
And there’s a very Pittsburgh twist to the story. The first-team all-conference kicker that year? Luke Ravenstahl, who would later become mayor of Pittsburgh. Only in Western Pennsylvania can a kicker’s football story somehow include Woodland Hills, Penn Hills, Bill Cherpak and a future mayor.
He Wasn’t Afraid to Make a Tackle
There is one part of Henderson’s career that he takes particular pride in.
He wasn’t interested in being the kicker who disappeared from the play after a kickoff. Henderson says he never had a kickoff returned for a touchdown against him. If a returner broke through the coverage, Henderson was willing to go after him himself.
He made tackles.
For a position that sometimes gets stereotyped as separate from the physical side of football, Henderson wanted to be a football player who happened to kick.
Football Didn’t Stop After College
After Bethany, Henderson continued playing. He spent three years in semi-pro football with the Pittsburgh Cobras before finishing his playing career with the Pittsburgh Power out of Wilkinsburg. But eventually his relationship with kicking evolved.
Instead of being the player lining up behind the ball, Henderson became the person teaching others how to do it.
Scott Henderson’s School of Place Kicking
Today, Henderson owns and operates Scott Henderson’s School of Place Kicking, working with kickers and punters throughout the WPIAL and beyond. His training has included specialists connected with programs such as Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional, along with the kicker at Saint Vincent College.
And maybe that’s the most meaningful part of his football journey. A kid who once had to prove his worth by knocking through a long extra point against Penn Hills now helps young specialists prove theirs.
Kickers and punters don’t always receive the attention quarterbacks, running backs and receivers get. Their importance can be overlooked—right up until a game comes down to one kick.
Henderson understands that pressure because he lived it.
From Woodland Hills’ first WPIAL championship team, to four years starting in college, to semi-pro football, and now teaching the craft to another generation, Scott Henderson has spent more than three decades around the game.
So maybe it’s time to retire that opening line. Scott Henderson wasn’t “just a kicker.”
He was a football player.
And now he’s making sure the next generation of kickers understands that they are, too.
Q: You called yourself “just a kicker.” Why do you think kickers sometimes don’t view themselves the same way as other football players?
A: I think it’s because of the way kickers and punters are viewed. You can go from hero to zero in a flash. And it’s such a unique position that I believe it gets overlooked at times.
Q: Take me back to that first extra point against Penn Hills. What was going through your mind when the penalty pushed you back?
A: Well, I didn’t see the penalty at first, to be honest, and I had just joined the team that Wednesday. So I went to where the normal extra point was on the 10, and the refs told me to go back 15 yards. All I kept thinking was, “Just make it.” And it barely went over the crossbar, but it still counted.
Q: What do you remember most about being part of Woodland Hills’ first WPIAL championship team in 1996?
A: What an adventure that was. We beat North Allegheny at home for homecoming and needed that win to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, our starting middle linebacker, Joe Sperduto, lost his mom when she passed away in the stands from a brain aneurysm. So from that point on, every game meant something. We were picked to lose every game during the playoffs. The first round was against Penn-Trafford, and we won 42-14. Then we beat Upper St. Clair in a mud bowl game—and the following year, they got turf. Then we beat Plum and ended up playing North Allegheny again at Three Rivers Stadium. I can remember Coach Novak taking us to Pitt Stadium so we could practice on turf and get used to it. It’s funny because it feels like a blur because of how quickly it went, but we ended up pulling it off and winning the first championship. Truly an amazing experience!
Q: Who were some of the best players you played with or against during your Woodland Hills years?
A: So many incredible players. I had the great fortune to play with guys like Melvin Cobbs, Marquest Rainey, Ewane Nani, Kevin Murray, Joel Riley, Rich Dickson, John Rumcik, Chris Edmonds, Madei Williams, Eric Walker, Fon Nanji, Raymar Hester, Delrico Fletcher, Khalid Johnson, Tim Bostard, Brady Martin, Joe Sperduto, Tutu Ferguson, and so many other talented players who made the team what we were.
Q: You take pride in never having a kickoff returned for a touchdown. Where did that mentality of wanting to make tackles come from?
A: That mentality actually came from our linebacker coach, Joe Samsa. When I joined the team, he said to me, “If you’re going to be on the field, you’re going to know how to tackle.” So I would work out and do some hitting drills with the linebackers. He taught me how to tackle correctly so I wouldn’t get hurt.
Q: What was the biggest difference between kicking at Woodland Hills and kicking for four years in college?
A: It’s funny because Woodland Hills was bigger than Bethany College, but the jump from high school to college was very different. Even though it was D3 football, you still had a lot of talent in the conference. A big adjustment that had to be made was that the hash marks were closer and the uprights were narrower in college. Plus, you have to kick off the ground and can’t use a block to raise the ball. Also, the kickoffs are five yards farther back, from the 35 instead of the 40.
Q: What do you teach young kickers today that you wish somebody had taught you when you were 15 or 16?
A: The biggest thing in kicking is that it’s mental. There’s the obvious physical part of it, but the mental part is so crucial—as far as visualizing the ball going through the uprights, getting your spot off in the distance when taking your steps back, staying in control, and not trying to over-kick, like overswinging in golf. Be smooth rather than forcing the kick. Be able to block out the other team and the crowd and stay focused. And honestly, just have fun with it. That’s the most important part because it can get stressful, and missing sucks! It’s such a unique position, but being a part of the game and contributing at a high level does mean a lot!