By Ken Hansard
Webb City senior running back / wide receiver Slade Hurd and his friends grew up watching the Cardinals’ football team win championships. Now that he and his friends are seniors, it is their turn to take one last shot at adding another championship to the Cardinals’ resume.
Webb finished last season 6-7 but made a late season run in the playoffs before falling in the quarterfinals to Platte City. Hurd and his friends want to use last season’s momentum to help them drive just a little farther, “My goal for this season is to stay healthy so I can help my team win a district championship and ultimately a state championship.”
Slowed by injuries during past seasons, Slade worked in the off-season to help prepare his body for the coming campaign, “I worked on my cutting and short burst speed. Because of past injuries, I also worked hard on my ankles and knees to get them in the strongest physical condition.”
As a senior, Hurd knows that it is incumbent on him and his friends to assume the mantle of leadership and pass on the Cardinal tradition to the younger players, “I want to be a leader and teammate that the others can rely on to do the right thing and to make big plays that help us win games.”
When Hurd is not on the field or on the court competing for the Cardinals, he likes to spend time outdoors – at the lake, hunting, or riding dirt bikes.
