Longtime Borah football coach died Sunday. His two sons led the Lions to a win Thursday
Quane Kenyon had previously spent 23 years as an assistant football coach at Borah. His 24th made him the envy of fathers everywhere.
Kenyon returned to the Lions this fall, working under one son, head coach J.Q. Kenyon, and alongside another, running backs coach Hunter Kenyon.
But the dream season came to an abrupt end Sunday when Quane Kenyon died suddenly. He was only 60. Borah High will host a funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday.
A battle with esophageal cancer forced the longtime educator to resign as the principal at Fairmont Junior High 22 months earlier. But all signs pointed to an upswing, allowing him to join the Lions’ coaching staff, a goal that motivated him throughout his battle with cancer.
The family is awaiting an official cause of death, but it was not related to the coronavirus, J.Q. Kenyon said, adding he expects it was a heart attack.
Whatever the cause, the loss sent shockwaves through the team and the Borah community. A week after topping Kuna with Quane Kenyon leading the special teams and defensive line, he left a hole on the Borah sideline.
An emotional week led to an emotional Thursday night, but one Borah finished with a 28-21 win against Owyhee in honor of Quane.
“They just fought,” J.Q. Kenyon, 35, said of his team. “He would have been proud of that.”
‘A TRUE BORAH LION’
Quane Kenyon graduated from Borah High in 1979, then returned in 1988 as a teacher and offensive line coach. He spent 23 years coaching the Lions before coaching at Bishop Kelly and then moving into administration. He served as the vice principal at Borah, North Junior High and Fairmont Junior High before ending his career as Fairmont’s principal.
Wherever he went, J.Q. and Hunter weren’t far behind, serving as ball boys, water boys and tee fetchers — whatever the team needed. The two grew up on football fields and in weight rooms. And Quane coached his daughter Kaycee’s softball teams all through school.
The three also grew up on his love of rhinos. Quane turned the beast into part-motto, part-philosophy and part-spirit animal, leading to the phrase “rhinology” that Hunter wore across his chest Thursday.
Rhinos know no fear, Quane was fond of saying. They charge full steam ahead into any challenges. Those massive charges were necessary for massive success, a lesson he imparted to anyone who would listen.
The animal became so connected to Quane that former players, teachers and coaches all gave him toy rhinos in an effort to repay the debt they felt to him. And the Lions added a rhino sticker to the front of their helmet as a small tribute Thursday.
“He had hundreds of rhinos,” stepson Mason Warr said. “They were all gifted to him. I don’t think he bought a single one. … That’s what he represented and what people identified him as.”
Hunter said the outpouring after his father’s death has been overwhelming.
“This whole week has been emotional,” Hunter, 26, said. “The players were super supportive. I was getting texts all week from them, from the community, from people that I’ve never even talked to before.
“That just shows how big of an impact our dad made on this Borah community and how important he was to this Borah community.”
Borah started the game with a moment of silence for Quane, the announcer noting his role as a longtime educator and “a true Borah lion.” J.Q. smiled after the game and said it would have made his father shudder.
“He was selfless,” J.Q. said. “He didn’t want all the credit. He would have probably been mad that we had a moment of silence for him.
“‘Ah, that’s stupid,’” J.Q. added, mimicking his father. “‘I’m fine. Get over it.’
“He didn’t want any attention. He just wanted everybody to do the right thing. He always looked at the positive in things, no matter if they were big or small, and tried to build off that.”
KENYON BACK ON THE SIDELINES
The family fantasized about Quane getting back on the Borah coaching staff once J.Q. started as an assistant. Then the Lions hired Hunter, and the dream kicked into high gear.
Quane’s cancer diagnosis threw a wrench into the plan. But then he beat it back, the school promoted J.Q. to its head coach and a spot opened up on the staff. All the cards fell into place.
J.Q. said he initially worried how a 60-year-old with odd phrases would connect with teenagers. He always kept the language school-appropriate, never cursing, leading to phrases like “tweezle sticks” or “half-fast.” But his father quickly bonded with the new Lions just like he did with the old ones.
“He had a big impact in our life,” Borah quarterback Korbin McCarney said while swallowing a lump in his throat. “He was my coach for one year. But he came in and taught us some good lessons. He taught us to never back down.”
The transition back into coaching wasn’t always smooth, J.Q. said. The father had to learn to defer to his son, the head coach. And old family dynamics die hard.
“He’s a principal, so he’s used to being the boss,” J.Q. joked. “... So we were butting heads a little bit early, but we would laugh about it.”
“He’d apologize for yelling at you,” Hunter interjected.
“And I’d have to apologize for yelling back,” J.Q. added. “It was funny. You know, rhinos are also pretty stubborn.”
But even though the dream season ended sooner than anyone expected, it still was a dream for the Kenyon family. The boys were back on the football field with their father, one last time.
Hunter described it as a full circle.
“It means he did it right,” J.Q. added. “It doesn’t always end up that way.”
BORAH RALLIES FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN
Borah fell into a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter Thursday. But the Lions (4-3, 3-1 5A SIC River) rallied behind another big night from junior running back Parker Rushton.
Rushton ran for 155 yards and three touchdowns, including 113 yards and two scores in the second half. He broke a 21-21 tie and put the game away with a 4-yard TD run with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter.
The win sends Borah into next week’s matchup against rival Capital as the winner of four straight. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Friday at Dona Larsen Park.
First-year school Owyhee fell to 0-7, 0-5 in the 5A SIC River Division. Sophomore Tim Jamerson ran for 104 yards and a TD for the Storm, and freshman Gage Haws returned an interception 34 yards for a TD.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 12:51 AM.
