Brooks Barta
1988 Shrine Bowl Brooks Barta, Roger’s son, enjoyed an outstanding career at Smith Center and Kansas State and is now one of the state’s most successful high school coaches at Class 4A Holton. He and Jeff Simoneau formed a formidable backfield that won the 1986 state championship with a 13-0 record and an average margin of victory of 34-9. He collected Big 8 Newcomer of the Year as a freshman at K-State and was first team all conference as a linebacker in 1991. When Barta arrived at Holton, the school had just one playoff appearance, in 1978. Holton went 3-6 in Barta’s first season and hasn’t posted a losing season since. The Wildcats have won three state titles in 2003, ‘05 and ‘12 and finished as runner-up three more times running virtually the same offense that his dad ran for decades at Smith Center.
Jeff Simoneau
1988 Shrine Bowl Smith Center is tied for 14th on the all-time list in Kansas history with 10 Wichita Eagle Top-11 players, the most among state schools Class 4A and below. Jeff Simoneau is the only Redmen to earn Top 11 honors in two years when he collected the awards in 1986 and ‘87. Simoneau and Brooks Barta helped the Redmen post a 29-3 record in their final three seasons, including a 1986 state championship. The Redmen won 21 straight games before Simoneau’s and Barta’s careers ended with a Week 9 loss to Plainville. Simoneau’s 10.6 time in 100 meter dash is still among the fastest in state history. Simoneau played fullback at Arizona State and rushed for 297 yards in two years and then finished his career as a nose guard at Kansas State.
Dave Haresnape 1989 Shrine Bowl
Haresnape was a standout lineman for the Redmen who played football at Kansas State before injuries ended his career. He spent several years in agriculture before he started coaching at Weatherford (Tex.) and is currently in his third year at Plainview (Tex.). He is the head coach for boys’ powerlifting and an assistant coach for football. Haresnape and his wife, Kim, have four boys.
Brian Lammey
1990 Shrine Bowl Historically, coach Roger Barta usually put his best athlete at fullback and linebacker. After Brooks Barta graduated, Lammey took over those positions and eventually earned all-state honors. After Lammey graduated, coach Barta told the Salina Journal that Lammey “enjoyed every minute” of playing high school football. Barta said he probably had never had a player enjoy playing as much as Lammey. In his junior and senior year combined, Lammey rushed for more than 2,000 yards and made 149 solo tackles. As a senior, he collected 978 rushing yards and 87 solo tackles with three interceptions to earn all-MCL honors both ways.
20 Brothers Through The Bone The Greats