Your Best Kicker: Cory Barnett
BY MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer
Sunday, August 26, 2012
8/26/12 at 8:33 AM
Catoosa, 5-10, 150, Sr.
Catoosa head coach Aaron Meier said he couldn't be happier about having placekicker Cory Barnett for another year.
"Any coach will tell you it's nice to have the kicking game taken care of because that wins a lot of ball games," Meier said.
Barnett gained his coach's confidence last season by kicking six field goals and 68 extra points. He also gained the confidence of the readers, who voted him as the area's top kicker in the All-World balloting.
"I always wanted to be a kicker because I thought it wouldn't be that hard," said Barnett, who grew up playing soccer. "Once you've tried it, it's a whole different world."
Catoosa lost to Clinton in double overtime in the Class 4A semifinals last year, but not before Barnett booted a tying, 24-yard field goal in the closing seconds of regulation.
"My coaches were telling me they knew I could do it, and just to follow the same routine that I always do," he said. "(After making the kick), I was on top of the world."
Barnett's edge in the All-World balloting was the narrowest of the eight positions. He won over Union's Austin Butler by fewer than 1,000 votes.
Your picks
1. Cory Barnett (Catoosa) 11,585
2. Austin Butler (Union) 10,616
3. Ross Moore (Broken Arrow) 2,601
4. Bryce Carter (Cascia Hall)
5. Cole Taylor (Victory Christian)
6. Lane Sailing (Owasso)
7. J.D. Hanslovan (Verdigris)
8. Preston Soper (Muskogee)
9. Sinue Rodriguez (Sallisaw)
10. Caleb Thomas (Coweta)
Our picks
1. Rodriguez
2. Soper
3. Hanslovan
4. Moore
5. Butler
6. Thomas
7. Barnett
8. Sailing
9. Carter
10. Taylor
Associated Images:
|
