By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
NATCHITOCHES – Airline’s Jeremiah Boudreaux, Jenna Key of Byrd and Parkway’s Devon “D.D.” Oliver are three of Shreveport-Bossier’s most prominent and accomplished active high school track and field competitors.
They lived up to billing Wednesday at the Region 1-5A track and field meet staged at the Walter P. Ledet Complex on the Northwestern State campus.
Boudreaux, who has overcome a fractured lower leg suffered late in October in football, was the meet’s Outstanding Boys Track Performer, scoring 21 ½ points in four events, winning the 110 and 300 meter hurdles and running a leg on the Vikings’ third-place 4×400 meter relay team. His 300 hurdles time of 37.16 was a personal best, after he started the day scoring eight points with a second place in the high jump (6-6).
Key, an LSU signee, dominated her specialty, the 3200 meter run, as expected, breezing home with a 15-second margin in 11:29.32. That came after she ran a personal record 5:12.46 time for second in the 1600 and qualified for next weekend’s state meet in that race.
Oliver, the reigning Class 5A state discus champion, wasn’t the top seed in Wednesday’s competition that featured seven of the state’s top eight performers this spring, but he walked away the winner with a personal and state-best 176-4 throw. Earlier, the junior pulled off a surprising triumph in the shot put with a PR of 53-8 3/4.
His twin wins made him the Outstanding Boys Field Performer and helped Parkway capture its first-ever regional team championship, a week after the Panthers were outpointed by their crosstown rivals, Boudreaux and the Vikings, at the district meet.
Parkway pooled together 87 points while Airline was second Wednesday with 75. Alexandria Senior High took third at 74 and Ruston was fourth (69) in the boys team standings.
Along with Oliver’s wins, the Panthers got 10-point boosts from first places by surprise champion Will Achee in the 200 (a 21.64 PR) and in the 4×400 relay as Achee’s anchor leg rallied Parkway to the meet-ending, title-clinching victory in 3:20.47.
Parkway rang up 14 points with its stout distance combo of Brennan Robin (second, 4:33.09) and Gabe Falting (third, 4:33.86) in the 1600 (both ran legs on the 4×4), got 10 in the 400 with Achee (second, 48.03) and Brody Hocter (fifth, 50.24) and eight in the 800 (a second-place 1:56.94 by Falting) and the runner-up 4×800 relay team (8:06.18) – the Panthers’ “B-team,” said co-head coach Kent Falting.
Boudreaux, who will be competing in his fifth state meet (third outdoors), didn’t have an easy road to this one after last fall’s fractured lower leg.
“First, I have to thank God for everything. I spent whole lotta time praying. It’s easy to get down on yourself when you get injured,” he said. “I kept in mind I wanted to be here in track season. I rested for two and a half months, drank a lot of protein shakes so I wouldn’t just deteriorate, and as soon as I could, I worked hard strengthening my ankle.”
It paid off. He said he’s “pretty close” to peak form and the Central Arkansas signee believes he can improve on all three of Wednesday’s marks (he won the 110 hurdles by nearly a second in 14.35) next Saturday in Baton Rouge.
Key was thrilled she’ll compete in two events at her future home, LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium, and was extra pleased teammate Spencer Frierson (11:46.60) will make her first state meet trip after taking third in the 3200.
“I wanted to push really hard on the mile. I finally got a best time, so all my hard work paid off. I’ve tried and tried and failed and failed, but today I gave it one last shot and the competition was great, and I took advantage of it,” she said. “I don’t double a lot – 16 and 32, I’m not used to it. It’s hot, so I knew I’d be pretty fatigued after the 1600, and I was. I didn’t know how I was going to run the 32, but I did it. I just wanted to get a championship under my belt, and the two-mile is my favorite race. And Spencer made it to state. I’m very pleased.”
Byrd’s girls were fifth in the team standings with 32 points, second among local teams. Airline took fourth at 43 points while Lafayette High dominated with 103, ahead of Barbe (91) and ASH (86).
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com