Football and family go hand in hand for Bartas

In 2018, Holton finished 3-6, including a 1-3 record in games decided by seven points or fewer. It marked the worst record since the first fall under 24th-year coach Brooks Barta. He has won 225 games, including three state championships and seven total title game appearances. Barta listed several reasons for the rare off year.

Holton faced the No. 1 schedule in Class 3A, according to Prep Power Index. The Wildcats played multiple playoff teams, including state champion Sabetha. Barta noted the Big Seven League had multiple strong senior classes in ’18. Barta, the son of legendary Smith Center coach Roger Barta, has long used the same Wishbone offensive scheme at Holton that Smith Center incorporated under his father and continues to use today.

“We worked a little bit of a talent disparity, and then we just did not do a good job of developing the leadership and the toughness it takes to do what we do, so it was a struggle last year,” Barta said. “I think we started off so far behind that we didn’t make a lot of progress. We just could never catch up.”

This year, the Wildcats opened with another close loss, a 7-0 defeat to Jefferson West. Jeff West scored on a long touchdown pass with 14 seconds left. The following week, Holton defeated Perry-Lecompton, 14-7. In ’18, Holton lost to P-L, 46-0. The Kaws are 6-3 this fall. Barta said Holton made “a lot of mental mistakes” in the Perry victory but the defense played strong.

“We won with our defense and competed with our defense early in the year,” Barta said. “And we just kind of struggled through offensively, and that’s the thing that these kids have done, they have played hard, and they play fast on defense. We are not much to look at when we walk on the field, but they play with a lot of intensity and are a lot of fun to watch defensively.”

The victory help transform Holton back among Class 3A’s elite programs. Like his father’s teams at SC and past Holton squads, the Wildcats have continued to get better throughout the fall in all facets. Holton features seven new offensive line starters. The Wildcats lost senior tackle Noah Woltje for the year in a non-contact drill in the summer. Senior tight end Ian Watkins has led the line. In Week 3, Holton won at Nemaha Central, 28-14, currently a 7-2 squad.

Holton has delivered signature victories the last three weeks with a 30-8 road win versus Marysville, a 41-14 home victory against Wamego in Week 8 and a 34-27 home win versus Santa Fe Trail last Friday. Holton won highly competitive District 4 that featured four teams with at least six wins. 

“The offense has just come through with just the development of fundamentals and understanding of what we are trying to do,” Barta said.

In addition, Barta has enjoyed watching his son, Mason, play at Kansas State. Brooks was a three-time co-captain at KSU and led the team in tackles all four years from his linebacker position. Brooks is still the second all-time leading tackler in K-State history, just ahead of fellow Smith Center grad Mark Simoneau.

Brooks was recruited prior to Bill Snyder's arrival at Kansas State, but he was one of several key players that helped Snyder launch the "Miracle in Manhattan," turning one of the country's worst Division I football programs into a consistent winner.

In ’91, he helped Kansas State to a 7-4 record, its first winning season since 1954. Roger and his wife, Pam, often drove through the night on Fridays after Smith Center games to watch Brooks play on Saturdays. 

Author Joe Drape wrote about Roger and Pam’s treks on page 186 of the best-selling book “Our Boys,” the story of the 2008 Smith Center football team that was released in 2009.

Kansas Pregame publisher John Baetz played for Roger Barta at Smith Center in the early '90s and remembers the coach occasionally getting off the bus after games to make the trip to watch Brooks play in road contests.

"After one game I remember coach Barta apologizing to the team on the bus for having to leave part way through the trip home," Baetz said. "It was very rare for our entire team not to ride home together from a game. Riding home together as a team from road games was very important to coach Barta and I think he felt like he'd let us down a little when he got off the bus early so he could go watch Brooks play. 

“I remember when he got off the bus early one night to travel to Nebraska to watch the Wildcats play in Lincoln. He apologized and said, 'Someday you'll have kids and you'll understand.' It's just one of the many reasons I have such tremendous respect for him."

Brooks and Tonya Barta have followed a similar route with Mason, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound fullback. 

A Shrine Bowl selection, Mason recorded 285 tackles and 1,718 rushing yards in his career with Holton. He redshirted in ’17 and played in 12 games, primarily on special teams and short-yardage situations last year. This season, he, like his dad at Holton, has helped K-State enjoy a turnaround after a rare losing season in 2018.

Kansas State, 5-7 last year, is 6-2 this season after a 48-41 home victory against Oklahoma, ranked fifth in the nation, two weeks ago. It marked the Wildcats’ first win against a top-five team since a 45-42 victory versus Texas on Nov. 11, 2006. Last Saturday, KSU continued its dominance in the Sunflower Showdown versus KU, with a 38-10 victory.

The Bartas were expected to make all but the Mississippi State road contest on Sept. 14. The game started at 11 a.m. 

“We looked into it, and there really wasn’t a way for us to guarantee to get there at 11 a.m., so we decided not to do that, which would have been a lot of fun,” Barta said. “That would have been the premier road game in his career for us to go see, so that was a little bit disappointing, but I guess when you retire you drive down there to see what it’s like.”

Tonya is from Arkansas City, and the Bartas have driven there on Fridays to watch games in Oklahoma, including this year’s contest at Oklahoma State. 

Other than MSU and OSU, the Wildcats have had five home games and had the short trip to Lawrence for the Sunflower Showdown. Mason has played a key role in all eight contests. The Bartas are contemplating an early morning flight to Texas and fly back for Nov. 9.

“Certainly it’s exhausting and trying to get ready for the game, but I have got a great staff, and everything seems to fall in place, even though I spend a lot of time chasing my son around,” Barta said. “It’s been a lot of fun for us to go watch.”

Roger has tuned into Holton games throughout the fall, mainly through streaming. Roger and Pam have been to a couple games in person and they continue to make it to most K-State home games. In addition to Brooks, daughters Shelby and Carrie also attended K-State.

“It kind of depends on the weather,” Brooks said of his father's attendance at Holton games. “And they watch it online a little bit, too, so I know my dad really enjoys the process of the season.”

Holton ranks ninth in 3A in scoring defense with just 126 points allowed (14 per game). Last year, the Wildcats permitted 25.2 points per contest. Barta labeled the defensive line the unit’s strength. Holton is home in a rematch against Perry-Lecompton (6-3) on Friday.

Sophomore Canon Karn leads the squad with 68 tackles, and junior Konnor Tannahill has 65 stops. Barta called the defensive linemen “very dominant.” Senior Trey Wright (60 tackles) has led the linebackers. Senior Taygen Fletcher has emerged as a leader in the secondary with 64 tackles and two passes defended.

On special teams, Holton has blocked three kicks, including a key blocked punt that led to a safety versus Marysville. Then, Fletcher returned the ensuing free kick for a touchdown. Versus Wamego, Fletcher completed a 24-yard halfback pass to Watkins for a score.

“Wright and all the backers do a nice job of just playing fast,” Barta said. “And filling gaps and cleaning things up. Secondary, we were probably a little bit worried coming into the season with not a lot of experience.”

Holton has five backs between 259 and 757 yards. Tannahill leads the team in rushing and carries (144). He has 10 rushing scores, two more than Karn. Karn has 63 carries for 511 yards. 

Fletcher has delivered 59 carries for 427 yards and three TDs. Holton assistant Joe Purcell handles the running backs. At the start of the season, Barta said Holton will run plays with “whoever is in there.” However, by season’s end, the Wildcats are more selective with who gets the carries. In the last month, Tannahill has 84 carries for 411 yards and six scores.

“That’s another reason it probably takes us some time to come along offensively is just getting them enough carries and enough reps to develop,” Barta said. “But on the flip side of that, it keeps them healthy and it helps you in the playoffs, and it helps you wear teams down a little bit, so the long term is, we think it’s a real benefit.”