By Scott Hansen
MaxPreps.com
"Tradition Never Graduates", not in Smith Center, Kansas.
If you travel 71 miles north on Frank Carlson Memorial Highway from Salina, you run into the heart of Belleville. If you exit west on Highway 36 and travel 63 more miles, you run into a small town known for its big-time football, none other than Smith Center.
It is home to Smith Center High School, which is a six-time state football champion. The Redmen enter their Sept. 14 game against rival Phillipsburg with a 43-game winning streak. Smith Center might have a tad fewer than 2,000 people, but its record over the past four seasons of high school football is second to none.
In two games thus far in 2007, the Redmen have steamrolled to 127 points combined while allowing zero. That's an average of 63.5 points per game while posting two shutouts.
In 2006, the Class 2-1A State Champions blasted through the opposition en route to its three straight state championship. During an insane six-game streak, Smith Center totaled 411 points, an average of 68.5. In a road game against Minneapolis, Smith Center won 83-8. The 83-8 tally was in the second round of the playoffs.
St. Francis has given Smith Center some minor problems in its road to three consecutive state championships. Last season in the state semifinals, Smith Center squeaked by with a 6-2 victory. In 2005 in the state quarterfinals, the Redmen won 20-14.
Running back Tate Arnold rushed for 148 yards and five touchdowns in a season-opening victory over Norton. In week two, Arnold followed it up with 109 yards on just eight carries in last week's 67-0 woodshed victory over Hill City.
For old-school football fans, watching Smith Center's offense go to work is a breath of fresh air. The Redmen run the wishbone offense known to locals at the "Barta Bone", an offense dominant during its heyday before colleges and high schools started switching over to a more wide open attack.
In the 2006 2-1A state title contest against St Marys, the Redman put up 419 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in a 56-26 route. Heading into the 2007 season, Smith Center returned 13 starters. Along with Arnold, quarterback Joe Windscheffel, and Kerby Rice. Four players rushed for more than 850 yards last season.
If you think the rest of 2-1A can rest easier when their seniors graduate,think again. As it says on their website, "Tradition NeverGraduates". Through two games, their junior varsity squad has posted a 50-0 victory over Norton and a 74-0 victory over Hill City.
Head Coach Roger Barta has been at the helm of the Smith Center program for all six state titles. Barta currently has 265 victories, which ranks amongst the top ten all-time in Kansas history.
Barta has indirectly produced another budding high school power in Kansas. Brooks Barta, son of the Smith Centerlegend, was the quickest in state history to reach the 100 win plateau when he accomplished the feat in 119 games in 2006 at Holton. Holton won titles in Class 4A in 2003 and 2005.
Smith Center mightbe a long way off of any sort of national records as far as winning streaks go. But if Barta continues to produce the sort of talent he has produced over and over again, Smith Center football will talked about for a long, long time.
Smith Center Redmen
Population: 1,931 (2000 Census)
Head Coach: Roger Barta
Website: http://www.usd237.com/HS_FB_index.php
Winning Streak: 43 games
Championships: (3A) 1982, 1986, 1999; (2-1A) 2004, 2005, 2006
Famous Alumni:
Nolan Cromwell (All-American quarterback at Kansas; Four-time All-Pro for the Los Angeles Rams from 1980-83)
Steve Tasker (wide receiver/special teams guru for the Buffalo Bills where he won four AFC Championships)
Mark Simoneau (All-American linebacker at Kansas State; currently playing in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints).
The Streak.
2007
Norton 60-0
Hill City 67-0
2006 (*Denotes Playoffs)
Norton 14-3
Hill City 58-19
Phillipsburg 37-0
Ellis 47-12
Stockton 63-6
Plainville 61-8
Lincoln 68-0
Osborne 67-12
*Plainville 69-0
*Minneapolis 83-8
*LaCrosse 46-0
*St. Francis 6-2
*St Marys 56-26
2005
Stockton 58-12
Hill City 63-8
Norton 51-13
Phillipsburg 38-29
Beloit 42-6
Trego 46-0
Osborne 78-6
Ellis 56-0
Plainville 60-0
*Decatur 73-0
*Salina Sacred Heart 58-14
*St. Francis 20-14
*Oakley 32-20
*St. Mary's-Colgan 36-16
2004
Stockton 46-0
Hill City 46-0
Norton 42-3
Phillipsburg 42-0
Beloit 65-27
Trego 50-0
Osborne 52-3
Ellis 58-6
Plainville 59-0
*Decatur 61-0
*Solomon 78-0
*St. Francis 51-14
*Claflin 30-8
*St. Mary's-Colgan 36-14
The Streak.Inside the Numbers
Over the 43-game streak, Smith Center has scored 2,229 points, an average of 51.8 points per game.
The Redmen have allowed just 309 total points, an average of 7.2 per contest.
The 2004 season-opening victory over Stockton was the first of 17 shutouts during the span of 43 games.