VIDALIA, La. – Vidalia policeman Nick Kennedy compares answering a police call to his days of playing football at Adams County Christian School.

&uot;In sports you always have to know which play is coming up and you have to stay in the right frame of mind,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;When I’m going to a call, my mind is already running, trying to visualize what’s fixing to happen. It’s kind of like visualizing the pattern or run you are fixing to make.&uot;

Kennedy transferred from Vidalia High to Adams County Christian School as a sophomore.

As a freshman at Vidalia, he was part of the Viking team that lost to Jonesboro-Hodge in the first round of the playoffs.

&uot;Going to the playoffs was a big highlight for me,&uot; Kennedy said. &uot;I played four quarters and felt it afterwards.&uot;

Kennedy played football and baseball at AC&160;and ran track.

&uot;It took me a while to get adjusted when I transferred,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;I really didn’t know anybody. I stayed out of football the first three weeks to make sure my grades were good and when I got my progress report, Coach (Bobby) Marks told me he still had a position for me.&uot;

Kennedy said catching his first touchdown pass in high school was his biggest highlight at AC.

&uot;My first pattern I didn’t run right and Coach called time out and called the same play,&uot; Kennedy said. &uot;John Mark (Whitney)&160;threw a perfect pass and I ran about five or six yards. I was going to run through the end zone because I didn’t know how close I was. I was just trying to make a touchdown. Then I saw the refereee put his hands up for a touchdown. It was great.&uot;

Kennedy loved baseball just as much, playing catcher for the Rebels.

&uot;I always tried to stay in better shape for baseball because I had track at the same time and I was always running a lot to get my speed up,&uot; he said. &uot;I didn’t want to get burned out sitting behind the plate for seven or more innings.&uot;

As a junior, Kennedy was part of an AC&160;team that defeated Jackson Prep and Hillcrest before losing to Parklane by one run in the state tournament in 1992.

&uot;That was the biggest highlight,&uot; said Kennedy, who added that two home runs in one game and a grand slam was hit most memorable individual highlight.

After high school, Kennedy joined the National Guard, where he stayed for six years. He joined the military police in 1997, which led to his current job in April 1998.

&uot;It’s a different world,&uot; Kennedy said. &uot;There are some good people and not-so-good people. You have to be ready for anything. Nothing is a gimmee. You try to be nice to people, but you always have to be on guard. Even the nicest people can turn on you.&uot;

Kennedy said he enjoys working in his hometown.

&uot;I was hoping I could get a job here first because I know a lot of people and it would make it easier,&uot; he said.

But it’s not always easy.

&uot;Having to deal with some people you grew up with can be real tough,&uot; he said. &uot;Sometimes you have to do some things you really don’t want to do. But that’s part of the job.&uot;

Kennedy and his wife Amanda have a 7-year-old daughter Chelsea, who plays coach-pitch, and a son, Nicholas, who turned 4 today.

&uot;He’s been bugging me the last two years to play T-ball,&uot; Kennedy said.

Kennedy, 25, still keeps up with the game as a high school baseball umpire.

&uot;Just playing the sport, I saw how much flack all the other umpries caught when I was coming up,&uot; said Kennedy, who umpired Dixie Youth games as a teenager. &uot;It’s fun – at times. It’s tougher now because people are so demanding. But I just let that go in one ear and out the other. As long as I call it the same way for both teams and stay consistent, that’s what matters.&uot;