Bryan “Peanut” Lay  made it official this past Friday that he would be continuing his sky bound sports specialty that he has mastered while at Quitman High School, otherwise known as pole vaulting, at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. 

With mother, Michelle, and father, Thomas, by his side and in front of a large audience of QHS administration, faculty, teammates, students, friends and family, Lay signed scholarship papers on Friday, May 17th in the Wolverine gymnasium. 

“I am really excited to be going to Northwestern,” said Lay when asked why NSU over others suitors. “I really feel that the coaches have my best interest at heart, not just as a member of the track team but also as a person.”

Lay will enter NSU in the fall as the top rated pole vaulter in the state of Louisiana. His resume also included three consecutive Class B outdoor pole vaulting championships and the 2024 LHSAA Indoor Track Championship. 

After tying the Jackson Parish all-time record height achieved of 12′ 6″, a mark that had stood for 60 years, Lay routinely started to set new school and parish records. First came the clearance of 13′ toward the end of  2023 setting the stage for one of the more astounding 30 day periods seen in high school sports in the state of Louisiana.

First, came the 13’9″ vault at the LSU High School Qualifier Indoor Meet on January 20th. This was followed by clearing 14 feet at the McNeese Indoor the next week followed by soaring to remarkable 14′ 10″ at the LSU Last Chance Qualifier on February 3rd. Back at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge the the following week, his 14′ 6″ vault earned Lay the first ever LHSAA state indoor championship in Jackson Parish history.  

Additional accolades garnered by Lay during the course of the spring included being awarded the prestigious honors of being named the LA Milesplit Athlete of the Week and Athlete of the Year.