How faith, military father helped this senior become leader for Derby football team
Nathan Keener won’t score the most touchdowns on the Derby football team this season.
He isn’t being recruited by major college football programs like some of his teammates.
But Derby coach Brandon Clark says you won’t find a better leader in the locker room than Keener, a senior wide receiver and defensive back who was selected to be the team’s lone spiritual leader this season.
“Nate just lives life the right way in everything he does: the way he is in school, the way he treats people, the way he plays football,” Clark said. “He doesn’t have an enemy. Everybody loves him and everybody wants to be around him because he is such a positive kid. He brings a positive energy to wherever he is.”
Running back Dylan Edwards, a Notre Dame commit, and defensive end Samuel Same, an Iowa State recruit, are the star players for a Derby team that once again has championship expectations when the 2022 Kansas high school football season begins Friday with the Panthers hosting Manhattan.
But off the field and in the locker room, no voice carries the weight of Keener, who leads with love.
“I see a lot of schools where the seniors haze the freshmen and disrespect them,” Keener said. “Our foundation here at Derby and our seniors wanted to make sure we respect the freshmen as much as we respect each other.”
So how did Keener, a 5-foot-10 receiver who caught seven passes last season, earn the respect of his peers?
The answer begins with the way Keener, the youngest of four siblings, was raised by his father, Chris, who served in the military, and his mother, Brandi, a nurse.
There is an acronym in the United States Army — LDRSHIP— that stands for loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Chris made sure all of those things were pillars in the Keener family.
“You tell the truth, you’re honest with people and you work hard,” Chris said. “If you do all of those things, then you can do great things. A lot of kids today, they expect things. I always told my kids that you’ve got to go get it. You’ve got to work for it. You’ve got to earn it. Don’t expect anybody to hand it to you.”
Growing up in a military family wasn’t always easy. Nathan had to acclimate himself to a new home three different times before he reached high school. He also had to learn to adhere to a strict upbringing.
“But I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Nathan said. “It was definitely strict, but you always knew what (my father) wanted and what he wanted was the best for us. My father has always been a great role model for me and always shown me the right way to lead.”
Faith was also a staple in the Keener household, which made servant leadership feel natural for Nathan.
He was too humble to list off the good deeds he does in the community, but his coach and father were proud to report that Nathan has become a tutor and teaches math to elementary students in the Derby school district, volunteers his time to help with Derby junior football practices and never hesitates to help neighbors out with chores around the yard.
Nathan credits his strong Christian faith for why he feels compelled to help others so often.
“I’m very proud of him because that’s how it should be as a believer,” Chris said. “People should be able to tell that you’ve been with Christ. People should be able to see that in you and that’s something that Nathaniel strives to do.”
Nathan said he was raised to “make the right decisions even when nobody’s watching,” a challenge he has met, which is a trait that endears him to his peers and made him the ideal spiritual leader in his senior year.
He hopes to be the glue of the next Derby championship team and follow in his older brother’s footsteps. Isaac Keener, a Top 11 selection by The Eagle in 2018, helped lead the Panthers to an undefeated state title in his senior season, the same script that Nathan hopes plays out this season.
After serving as mostly a run-blocking wide receiver last season, Nathan figures to play a much larger factor in the Panthers’ improved passing game this season with his rapport with new quarterback Brock Zerger. He is also the team’s lone two-way player, as he is slated to play cornerback for the defense as well.
“Last year we came up short (in the state title game) and it was pretty heartbreaking,” Nathan said. “We need to finish it off this year. Our team knows what we need to do. We went through heartbreak and we don’t want to feel that way again, especially our last year as seniors.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
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