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Mason Barta, football family, part 3

Posted on by Jason Hackett

By Ron Wilson, director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.

During the last two weeks, we’ve learned about the Barta family and their success in Kansas football. Today, in the conclusion of this three-part series, we’ll learn about the youngest branch on this football family tree. Many thanks to K-State Sports Information and writer Austin Siegel for the following information.

From left, Brooks Barta and Mason Barta
From left, Brooks Barta and Mason Barta

Previously, we’ve learned about coach Roger Barta at Smith Center and his son Brooks Barta. Both Bartas became successful coaches. Today we’ll learn about the third generation in this remarkable football family.

Mason Barta is the son of Brooks and Tonya Barta and the grandson of Roger and Pam.  He grew up at Holton where he was coached by his father and finished his high school career as the top-ranked outside linebacker in the state of Kansas. When it came to his collegiate football career, his father’s alma mater, Kansas State University, was one of the obvious choices.

Mason Barta remembers climbing the steps of the old Vanier Family Football Complex when he was a kid. His dad seemed to know everyone in the building. After his dad renewed old acquaintances, Mason walked into coach Bill Snyder’s office for the first time. Continue reading “Mason Barta, football family, part 3” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Harry Trotter

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Come back to Kansas. That phrase might sound like a state tourism advertisement, but it would also describe the journey of college football players who grew up in the Sunflower State, moved away, and found an opportunity to come back home. Today we’ll learn about one such player.

Harry Trotter is one of those in-state talents who went away and took the opportunity to come back. He grew up at Atchison, Kansas and played high school ball at Maur Hill – Mount Academy. He had an outstanding prep career, rushing for 2,940 yards and 36 touchdowns, plus 87 yards and a touchdown catching the ball. During his senior season in 2015, he ran for 1,657 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Harry Trotter

Harry Trotter’s performance on the field earned him all-state honors from the Kansas Football Coaches Association, plus all-state honorable mention accolades from the Topeka Capital-Journal and the Wichita Eagle. However, it did not earn him scholarship offers from the major Division I colleges. Instead, he accepted a community college offer in hopes of going to a higher level in another year.

Harry chose to go to Fort Scott Community College. In his first year there, he rushed 146 times for 503 yards and eight touchdowns, while he caught 14 passes for 86 yards. His best rushing game of the year was against Central Methodist when he had 159 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, a game that featured a season-long run of 52 yards.

After that season, his journey took him to the Division I level and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Harry attended the University of Louisville, where he played in nine games.  After that, his journey brought him back home to Kansas. He chose to transfer to Kansas State where he had to sit out one season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Harry Trotter” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Blake Lynch

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Does a little guy have a chance in football? The game of football is obviously populated with big, strong players. For example, the players on the Kansas State University offensive line in 2018 averaged 6 feet 5 inches tall and 306 pounds in weight. Those are some big guys. But sometimes I like to

Blake Lynch

cheer for the underdog – the little guy. Today we’ll meet a young man from rural Kansas who is small in stature but has made a big mark on K-State’s football season.

Blake Lynch from Goddard, Kansas was the starting placekicker on the K-State football team during the past season. His was one of the feel-good stories of 2018.

Blake grew up west of Wichita at Goddard, a rural community of 4,746 people. Now, that’s rural. His parents are Jason and Kim Lynch. Jason has a roofing and construction business in the Wichita area. Kim attended K-State and Bethel College.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Blake Lynch” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Homegrown football players

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Identifying local talent and helping it to succeed: That’s part of the formula for successful local economic development. It’s also part of the formula for building a successful collegiate football program. Today we’ll learn about some of the in-state talent which is part of the bowl-bound Kansas State University Wildcat football team.

Many of the players on the 2016 Kansas State University football team grew up in Kansas.
Many of the players on the 2016 Kansas State University football team grew up in Kansas.

The K-State Wildcats are headed to a seventh consecutive bowl game. As they prepare for the game, it is interesting to look at K-State’s 120-man roster. It includes high profile recruits from around the nation, as one would expect on a power five conference team, but by far the largest number of players on the roster from any state come from Kansas itself. Forty-nine of the 120 players list Kansas as home.

They come from cities small and large. Their hometowns span the alphabet from Atchison to Wamego, and geographically from Kansas City to Ulysses. As one would expect, several come from the Wichita and KC areas.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Homegrown football players” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Joe Hubener and Kody Cook

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

From Cheney to Louisburg. The distance between those two small Kansas towns is approximately halfway across the state. During the college football season of 2015, there was a key play involving players from those two small towns that made for one of the most exciting finishes in early season games. Can small town athletes succeed at the college level? That’s the subject of today’s Kansas Profile.

Kody Cook caught a pass from Joe Hubener and scored the game-winning touchdown in the K-State-Louisiana Tech game Sept. 19.
Kody Cook caught a pass from Joe Hubener and scored the game-winning touchdown in the K-State-Louisiana Tech game Sept. 19.

Joe Hubener and Kody Cook are key players on the K-State football team. Both were outstanding high school athletes, but like many players from small town Kansas, they did not get lots of recruiting offers from high major colleges.

Joe Hubener comes from Cheney, west of Wichita. His parents both attended K-State. Joe lettered in football, basketball, and track. He even made the top five as a javelin thrower during the state track meet. In football, he played various positions such as wide receiver, defensive back, and backup quarterback, but he never started a game as quarterback during his high school career.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Joe Hubener and Kody Cook” →