NATCHITOCHES — It’s unusual for a head coach to handle the public address duties at a track meet where his team is contending for a championship.
It’s also unusual for a team to win a championship while its other head coach is an hour away.
That’s just part of the unconventional storyline of the first-ever regional track and field championship for Parkway High School. The Panthers brought home the Region 1-5A boys crown Wednesday from NSU’s Walter P. Ledet Complex with a healthy dose of pleasant surprises – motivated by a bundle of joy.
That particular aspect was back home. Hudson Thomas Kennady made his arrival Monday. The baby boy’s birth kept Parkway co-head coach and proud papa Chris Kennady from being in Natchitoches. But he got constant updates through the afternoon as the Panthers pursued the team title, and he helped finish it in style as his runners closed the meet with a winning 4×400 relay performance.
“We put him on the phone for the 4×4 pep talk, and the entire race,” said Kent Falting, the other half of the Panthers’ co-head coaching tandem. “We want to dedicate this to his new son, Hudson Thomas Kennady. The kids really stepped up for Chris there. Even though he couldn’t be here, we’re glad to be bringing something home to him.”
Falting had a unique perspective all day long. He maintained neutrality and calm, so far as anyone could tell, while he handled announcing duties for the meet once again.
“I don’t know why they keep asking me to do it,” he said, “but it’s not a distraction for our kids. We compete in big meets all year. They know how to get ready. And we have a great staff of assistant coaches who keep me updated and keep encouraging our kids at all the events.”
He did not get choked up the slightest bit as he announced the final team scoring totals, probably because he’s also used to announcing the strong finishes in the regional meet over the past four years by his son, Panthers’ distance ace Gabe Falting, headed for another state meet after scoring 16 ½ of the team’s winning 87 points.
That, his dad expected. There was plenty more he and the other Parkway coaches didn’t when they outlined the path to the regional championship.
“A couple of days ago, we looked and realized we had a chance. We thought everything had to go perfect,” said the elder Falting, “and not a lot of it happened the way we mapped it out. We had more success stories than we thought. We’re taking 16 kids to state, which has to be the most in school history. It was definitely a surprise day in all the right ways.”
Not much of a surprise: Devon Oliver, the reigning Class 5A discus champ, winning his specialty, although he wasn’t the top seed coming in. That was Alexandria Senior High’s Hunter Rivet, who had the state’s best mark this season, 171-3 ½.
“I had a good practice this week, came out here and did what I thought I could do,” said Oliver. “I’m proud of myself. I knew I could get it out there, but I surprised myself with that throw. I think (Rivet) pushed me to throw farther, knowing what he had done, and I had to do better.”
But that’s not all. Earlier, he was an unanticipated regional champ in the shot put.
“The shot’s not been his deal this year, but he’s been working really hard at that. D.D. was seeded fifth coming in, and popped a PR, 53-9, and won that, which was huge,” said Falting.
Another early encouraging sign? “We ran our B-team in the 4×8, and were hoping they would sneak in third. They ran 8:06, four seconds off our school record, which was crazy, and won,” he said.
Later, Will Achee, after being nipped in his specialty, the 400, and settling for second, beat everybody in the 200.
“We were hoping he would score some points but winning it was huge,” said Falting.
“Those were the things we didn’t know were going to happen, that did. We were counting very heavily on the distance kids and the 4×4, and they did exactly what we needed, and with those extra things, it made all the difference.”
That made for a very pleasant ride up I-49 to Bossier City, and an auspicious start to the life of Hunter Thomas Kennady.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com