Byrd's Jenna Key on Road Back to The Top!

    Before the race, Key and fellow C.E. Byrd sophomore "running buddy"- Hudson Roberts went for a warm up jog on Rubicon Rd., which runs east and west just south of Benton's Tiger Stadium where key would be making her comeback after missing the LHSAA Division I State Indoor Meet in February and all of the outdoor regular season-sidelined by a freak injury at practice.

    Many thoughts can cross the mind of a teenage girl in a short amount of time. But as the sun began to set in the Northern Bossier Parish sky one thought dominated all others--the beauty of everything around her. The wild flowers, unscathed by the recent rains, the tall green grass blowing in the wind, and-of course-the cattle, with a few even calling out to the distance runners as they passed by. 

    "I just looked around and told Hudson 'look how beautiful it is,'" Key said. 

    So beautiful, in fact, that Key did something she has never done. 

    Some people stop and smell the roses. Key stopped to pick some bird's eye flowers, fittingly enough-light purple with a touch of gold, which were clumped together along Rubicon Rd.

    Key made the decision that flowers needed to come along with her for the ride, so she took the flowers she picked and them carefully to the back of her ponytail."

    "Flower power!," She said, smiling, moments after winning the race with a 12:06.24.

     Roberts, who finished second, was smiling too. For starters, because she had her running partner back from injury, and because a full day-which started with a leg on Byrd's winning 4x800 and included a third place finish in the 1600 meters was finally over.

     While there was joy in the victory, there was pain during the race as the ankle reminded her of the last two months and everything she has had to overcome.

     "You know, it's always going to be a nagging issue," Key said. "We were running in knee high grass before the race and I was like 'this is a little sore.'"

     And for Roberts?

     "It was incredible," Roberts said. "I have had a full day of racing today, I'm exhausted, but I knew standing at the line right there, just having Jenna..as soon as we took off I knew it was going to be a good race because she is here."

      As far as her partner's injury?

    "Jenna is Jenna," Roberts said. "While she was nervous about it, we knew she was going to be just fine."

     Key's injury occurred at practice. She was doing some speed work at Byrd High School under the watch of Byrd head coach Juan Plaza, who was keeping up with the splits for his distance runner, who ranked was ranked No. 4 in the state in the 3200 meters (11:27) and No. 6 in the state in the 1600 meters (5:24.14).

     Key wasn't the only ranked Byrd distance runner during the indoor season. Roberts was ranked No. 3 after beating Key in LSU's Last Chance Qualifier with a time of 11:26.95.

      Key and Roberts weren't the only Yellow Jackets who were practicing on that day. The Byrd lacrosse team was on the infield, and a lacrosse ball was errantly thrown-and missed-in Key's direction. The ball was so low that she never saw it. She was moving fast. So was the ball. Her foot came down on top of the ball, causing her to roll her ankle and fall to the ground. 

     The pain was bad, but the fact that she would not be able to compete with the state's best on the LHSAA Division I Indoor Meet hurt worse. And then there would be missing most-if not all- of the 2022 outdoor season, not to mention wearing a boot to school and having to navigate the busy halls and stairs at school with a boot. 

     It wasn't easy, but Key was as disciplined in her rehab as she was the summer workouts which helped claim the District 1-5A Cross Country Championship, and finish second at the LHSAA Class 5A State Cross Country Meet to Ruston junior Lily Garrett, who went on to be named Louisiana's Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year. 

     There won't be any need for introductions at the Region I-5A Meet on Wednesday as Garrett and Key enter the race as the No. 1 and No. 2 seed. Garret won both the 1600 (5:19.62)and 3200 (11:14.29) at the District 2-5A Meet last week. Roberts will be hanging around within striking distance of a podium finish as well. 

    Regardless of Wednesday's outcome, you can bet Key will be looking around, enjoying the beauty of it all, and truly taking time to stop and pick the wildflowers. It's been a long road back, and she is finally headed in the right direction.