BARR MARCHES TO HIS OWN DRUM

Some people march to the beat of a different drum. But, some people simply march to their own drum. Bearcat senior fullback/linebacker Garrick Barr is the later, literally.

In what can be an atypical pairing Barr is both on the BHS football team an in its band. However, that is nothing new for Barr.

Barr has been on a Bearcat football roster all six years of junior and senior high school – he actually started playing football in the fourth grade – and has been in the band since the seventh grade as well.

“It’s hard to balance both of them but if you put in enough work you can do it if you want to,” said Barr.

Practice is a big part of the balancing act.

“They’re both after school but most of the time I just go to after school football practice and after football practice I go home and practice my music or whatever we’re working on,” said Barr.

The pairing makes for an interesting pep rally.

“I run in with the team, then I run over there with the percussion section,” said Barr. “At the end of the pep rally I run over with the football team then run back and do our drum cadence afterward.”

The Friday night priority for Barr is football, but he does understands the march ongoing at halftime, revealing the beginning formation of the show – Clocks – is set for 11:40 with an ending at 12:28, because those are the beginning and ending times for advanced band class.

Sometimes band has to be a priority, such as Tuesday’s Region VIII marching assessment for which the marching Bearcats earned a First Division rating.

For head coach Doc Crowley, Barr mans backup fullback and linebacker positions, usually getting in the scrimmage action late in games. He is also a special teams regular, and the Bearcats kick off, a lot, so he has several tackle opportunities per game.

Obviously Barr and his teammates hope kickoffs happen a lot Friday night against Charleston, who handed them two losses a year ago.

“Hopefully I get out there,” he said. “The whole team is fired up. I still remember the score from that state game. We will come out with a lot of energy and intensity.”

Barr scored his second career touchdown against Greenland on Homecoming night but he has been on the receiving end of his share of vicious hits.

“That was all up to the line. I just got the ball and my offensive line blocked well for me,” Barr said of the touchdown.

He said the drive play for the fullback is one he likes to hear called in the huddle because it is, “just get the ball in run.”

Barr has 77 career carries for 311 yards, a respectable 4.0 yards per carry. But again, if you have the ball, you are a target.

“That was pretty bad. I was looking on the inside of the field and I didn’t realize the other guy who came and smoked me,” Barr said of a particular shot he took at Harding Academy. “That hurt pretty bad. I’m not going to lie.”

“Garrick is a tough kid that really exemplifies everything a Bearcat represents,” said Crowley. “He’s undersized, but plays with a huge heart and gives you everything he has every day in practice. He’s an easy kid to love and a fun kid to be around.”

Barr has been a fullback his entire career.

“In seventh grade I ran number three, scout team every day,” he said.

As for linebacker it is much the same.

“Linebacker you have to be smart. Yeah you have to hit hard and all that but linebacker you have to be smart because they have to know everything about all the positions,” said Barr. “I really applaud Dax Goff and Hunter Warren. They’re great linebackers.

“I’m glad to make them better in practice and to get to play with them.”

Besides recording most of his career 33 tackles on special teams, Barr has returned five kickoffs in his career and has averaged almost 11 yards per return.

For band, Barr was recruited out of sixth grade by directors Brian and Angela Rhodes.

“Mr. Rhodes came over to the elementary school and they had these drum sticks and were tapping them on the table and I just fell in love with it,” said Barr. “Back then I really liked listening to music and I was like keeping the beat.”

Barr is not the first to mix football and band – there were a couple others with him last year and at least one doing so with him this year – so he said it is just accepted and, “people just respect what I’m doing (and) I’m doing what I want to do.”

“Garrick is an outstanding percussionist and a hard worker for the band. He is a prime example of how students can excel in both band and sports,” said band director Brian Rhodes.

As a senior an English credit short of being ready to graduate Barr, has a JAG class, English, and that band class before leaving and returning for football practice.

If football and band were not enough, Barr is also employed as a crew trainer for the local SONIC and has eyes on going to training for heavy equipment in the near future.

Barr has two siblings, a sister who is a BHS alum, and a brother, Chayton, who is also in band. His mother is April Barr.