Iola High senior Casen Barker is transitioning from a Mustang to a Coyote.
Barker heads to Kansas Wesleyan this fall on a football scholarship.
“I’m really excited, because it has been something I have wanted to do for a really long time,” Barker said. “It was definitely one of my biggest goals, so it felt good that I was able to accomplish that.”
Barker’s senior season on the gridiron didn’t end the way he’d expected it to. The Mustangs finished with a 2-7 record, earning wins against Osawatomie on homecoming and Parsons on the final day of the regular season.
On offense, Barker featured at running back and quarterback last season, while also lining up at linebacker on the defensive end. Baker finished the season with 574 yards of offense and seven touchdowns. He also finished second on the team with 73 total tackles.
Although the Mustangs never finished with a winning record at the varsity level during Barker’s tenure, he didn’t let it take the fun out of football.
“I know we weren’t the most successful in our seasons, but I guess the way I love the game… I have just always wanted to keep playing,” Barker said.
Barker says he was recruited by a handful of schools before making visits to McPherson College and Kansas Wesleyan University. Mulling over his choices, he felt the other programs couldn’t match the attention the Kansas Weslyan coaches gave him.
“They have amazing facilities, and obviously a pretty good team,” Barker said. “No other school kept in touch with me like their coaches did. They would text me ‘Hope you have a Happy Easter, hope everything is going well,’ and just constantly kept in contact with me. I really appreciated that.”
Perhaps, another factor that weighed into Barker’s decision was Kansas Wesleyan’s location. Coyote Country is based in Salina, a city that brings good omens for Barker. In 2018, Iola High captured its first baseball state championship with an 11-6 win over Bishop Ward in Salina.
That season as a sophomore, Barker featured as the Mustangs’ starting catcher for a majority of their campaign despite being a lefty. He was hoping for a similar ending to this season, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barker and the Mustangs never got the chance.
“Yeah, it sucked,” Barker said. “Some of the kids dwell on it, but I try not to.”
Barker has kept himself busy during the downtime due to the pandemic. He is working 40-hour weeks for the City of Iola as a groundskeeper for its parks and cemeteries.
On the weekends, he stays busy with his personal lawn-care business that has grown in recent months. Barker says last summer he took care of five lawns, but joined forces with his friend Kole Rogers. Now, the pair is in charge of about 20 lawns per weekend.
Barker plans on a future in business, and no better way than learning the ins and outs of business than doing it yourself.
