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March 5, 2014
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A feel-good comeback story is currently unfolding in the track and field sand pits at Thibodaux High School.
Just one year after being ruled academically ineligible and unable to compete in his junior season, Tigers’ track and field standout Dewayne Reed hit the books hard.
“I couldn’t compete, because I didn’t take care of some of the business that I needed to take care of,” Reed said. “And that hurt me. That made me see first-hand some of the things that are really important in life.”
With priorities intact and his eligibility regained, Reed was able to return to the track for his senior season. He came back with a vengeance, and is now a state champion.
At the LHSAA State Indoor Track and Field Meet in Baton Rouge, Reed outlasted everyone in the Class 5A long jump competition, taking home the title with a victorious leap of 23-feet, 3-and-one-half inches.
The victory sends Reed into the outdoor season with confidence that he can take home gold in both the long jump and triple jump events.
“It feels good to be a state champion – there’s no doubt about it. It definitely feels good,” Reed said. “For me to look at myself and to know my path and to know where I came from, there’s no doubt that this was an amazing achievement for me, because I had a lot of maturing to do and a lot of things that I needed to shift around in my life to get to this point. I’m proud of myself, and I’m just ready to help my team this outdoor season.”
Reed had to overcome some adversity to take home the state title. The Tigers’ senior said that he injured himself early in the meet and “felt his knee pop,” while attempting a jump.
That injury forced him to miss the triple jump – an event that he also thought he could win. It also limited his ability in the long jump. Reed said his winning leap was one that he made with “nothing but courage.” The state champion added that if he were 100 percent healthy, he believes that he could have exceeded that number – something he is looking forward to doing routinely in the outdoor season.
“I could have done a little bit better – I know I could have. I’ve done it before,” Reed said. “I’m really proud of that jump there because it was enough to win the meet. But I’m proud of it because it was really hard to make through the pain. But I was able to persevere and get out deep enough to bring it home.”
So with the indoor title under his belt, Reed said he has three goals before he graduates in May.
The first is to get to 100-perent health. Reed said he will see the team’s trainer when school returns from the Mardi Gras break so that he can get an official diagnosis and a recommendation about whether or not he needs to rest or seek more immediate medical attention.
“This has been a bit of an ongoing thing for me,” Reed said. “I’ve been hurt for a while now, honestly. I guess you can just say that I’ve been playing through the pain. But whatever it is, I’m ready to take care of it so that I can be at 100 percent for outdoor.”
The next goal on Reed’s to-do list is what he just mentioned above: the outdoor season. Assuming that he can get back to 100 percent and return to the pits, Reed wants to win his first-ever outdoor state title in the long jump.
The Tigers’ senior said he has plans to double-up his efforts and take home the triple jump, as well – something that he believes is well within his reach.
“I prefer the long jump – that’s my main event,” Reed said. “But I post good marks in the triple, too. I think I can compete favorable there, as well. I got the indoor one, and that feels really, really good. But now it’s time to shift my attention and my focus to outdoor so that I can try and win those, too.”
And then lastly, Reed wants to give himself a shot to keep jumping at the next level.
The state champion said that he’s already been contacted by colleges around the Southeast who are interested in his services following the 2014 prep track season. Reed admits that junior college is also a possibility because of the late start he got in turning his academics around.
But either way, he said he is “100 percent certain” that he wants to go to college next year, adding that he aims to major in mechanical engineering.
That’s quite a turnaround for a young man that wasn’t eligible to compete in athletics 12 months ago because of his grades.
It’s a comeback story that Reed admits changed his life and allowed him a second shot to save his athletic career.
“I couldn’t compete, and I really missed it,” Reed said. “I just needed to make this change in my life. I needed to hit my books hard. I needed to do the things that I needed to do as a student so that I could have the privilege of being an athlete. I’m grateful I did it. I’m even more grateful that I was able to become a state champion. I just can’t wait until outdoor now, so I can try to do it again.”
Thibodaux High School track standout Dewayne Reed glides through the air during a practice jump. After being ruled academically ineligible for his junior season, Reed said he rededicated himself to school work. After regaining his eligibility, Reed made an immediate impact, winning the Class 5A Indoor State Championship in the long jump event. Reed now wants to replicate his feat in the outdoor season.
