Back in the Booth

This past Friday, I went back into the radio broadcast booth joining Chris Paddie of KMHT radio calling the Marshall Maverick games. I took off a year because Marianne was teaching English at Harleton High School. I wanted to attend the Harleton games with her and my boys, Andrew and Ashton. What a fun year we had watching the Wildcasts go two deep into the playoffs. Also being present when Coach Dennis Alexander notched his 300 career victory as a head coach. Good to see a fellow Kilgore High School graduate do good.

Friday night Marshall played Jacksonville at the historic Tomato Bowl. Marshall won 19-3. You never know who you will run into at a high school football game. I expected to run into CBS-19 news anchor Bryan Houston. Houston does the play-by-play for the Jacksonville Indians on the radio. He was my boss when I worked at KTRE in Lufkin many years ago and served as a groomsman when I married Marianne 21 years ago. But, I did not expect to run into Rory Dukes.

Rory was a senior at Kilgore High School when I was a freshman. Rory was a reciever who was described by Scott Elliot, sports editor of the Kilgore News Hearld, back in the 1970's, as "Rory 'Catch em in the Crowd' Dukes.

Rory was in the pressbox Friday night helping spot for the Jacksonville PA announcer. The last time I had run into Rory was at the graveside service for longtime Kilgore High School basket coach Donnie Oden some 10 years ago.

Rory is a lawyer praticing in Tyler and was helping out a friend in the public address booth. Rory played college football at Austin College who won a national championship. He spent a fews years coaching in the college ranks as well at his alma mater, Kilgore High School. A teamate of Rory's at Austin College was Mark Sartain. Mark is now the head coach at East Texas Baptist University. Small world.

Rory and I got a chance to catch up on old times during halftime. It was good to visit with and share what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in both our lives since leaving the halls of Kilgore High. God is good. I was excited about broadcasting high school football again, but a bigger blessing came through the unexpected. Seeing an old friend. Praise be to God. Relationships with fellow believers are eternal.