2024 Interview with West Carter (KY) Head Coach Daniel Barker

 

Name: Daniel Barker

School: West Carter High School

Position: Head Coach/Assistant Principal

College: Morehead State

What are your concerns entering the 2024 season?

We want to continue to build on the momentum from late in the year. Our young team learned to compete and eventually win, and we need to carry that over. We lost five games by a total of 23 points, so we know what we need to be successful and continue to build this year. 

How important is spring ball for not only the players but also the coaching staff?

Being a school of 500, spring ball is hard for us. We have a ton of multi-sport athletes and some multi-sport assistant coaches. We get all the work we can, but small school spring ball is probably not as beneficial as it is at bigger schools, in my opinion. 

What will you miss the most from the 2024 class?

There were only six of those guys, but they competed hard and were tough kids. Had some good senior leadership on the OL/DL. We had some skillful kids that did a really nice job for us. 

What is the thought process behind the grid game you guys play before each season?

We want to compete, build depth, and stay healthy. This year’s opponent will be Greenup, so we will get to see a talented, well-coached team with a dynamic QB. It should be good work and help us prepare for the season. 

West Carter was able to double their win total from the 2022 season to the 2023 season. What were the biggest improvements from 2022 to 2023?

Our 14- and 15-year-old kids became 15 and 16 years old. Kids were older, more experienced, bigger, faster, and stronger. More importantly, I think our kids began to understand the things that made our really good teams so great. I think there was a little bit of expectation that winning would be easy after our 2019–2021 run of seasons. It’s never easy. Those kids worked their tails off, and now our kids understand what it took for those groups to be great. 

What will the 2024 team have to do to finish over 500 this season?

Stay healthy. Continue to focus on the details. Compete at a high level. 

If you could make one change to Kentucky High School football, what would it be and why?

Eliminate the bye week and move the season back a week. 

As the head coach, what do you do to help aid your players in getting recruited?

We keep up-to-date information on all of our prospects that we share with schools. We help our kids find schools they’re interested in and that they can play at. We don’t have a ton of kids each year that try to play college ball, but when we do have kids that want to, we can usually find them a school they really like. 

What is the most rewarding part of being the head football coach at West Carter High School?

Running the football team in your home town can be an awesome experience. We don’t have a huge school, super-nice facilities, or a lot of money. We don’t have a lot of people moving into our community. We run a program the hard way, but it makes the success even better. It’s a harder job than people probably realize, but it’s very rewarding to see kids in our community grow and have success. Seeing kids grow all the way from Pee-Wee through their senior years is awesome, and we have so many of our players that stay up to date on Comet football after they’re done!

What is the toughest part of being the head football coach at West Carter High School?

I think it’s similar to all small, rural, county schools in that you have years where you’re young as a whole, inexperienced, or have a smaller roster. Being a coach at a small school can be a humbling experience. You can play in a state championship game one year and win two games for an entire season in the span of 2–3 years. 

What do you look for as far as non-district games go?

If we can, we look for EKC games. If not, we look for similar-sized schools. We try to find teams that will prepare us for who we will see in district play or in the playoffs. 

Where is the best local place to grab a full meal?

For a small town, Olive Hill has great food options. Giovannis, Tyler’s, Tre Fratelli, Tres Hermanos, Walkers, and Trail Town are all really good. 

What is your favorite college football matchup to watch?

Miami vs. Florida State... Go Canes!

Where is your favorite vacation place?

Any of the beaches in the Clearwater Area.