The Sporting News National Player of the Week: McEachern [Powder Springs, GA] soph Casey Barner

Kendall Webb

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The Sporting News National Player of the Week: McEachern [Powder Springs, GA] soph Casey Barner image

McEachern sophomore Casey Barner rolled up 341 all-purpose yards while scoring three touchdowns to earn The Sporting News National Player of the Week honors.

Casey Barner was piling up yards and scoring touchdowns – even when he wasn't.

Early in his McEachern [Powder Springs, GA] Indians' 50-17 romp past the Walton [Marietta, GA] Raiders, the sophomore caught a punt at his own five-yard line and immediately dodged a would-be tackler to the right. He then made a sharp cut up the middle of the field, splitting three more defenders as he headed toward the sideline.

At least five more Raiders had an angle on him, but the speedster got to the corner first before juking the punter and the final two defenders near Walton's 40 to break into the clear. He raced the rest of the way to the end zone untouched, putting McEachern on the board first with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Well, not exactly.

Barner's opening strike ended up getting called back due to a penalty that reduced it to a mere 62 yards. But, fortunately, for McEachern, it was just the opening scene in Barner's four-act play. Walton may have edited the script early, but Barner was the playwright on this night, and he ended up authoring one heck of a story.

    The Sporting News National Player of the Week

    Casey Barner, McEachern [Powder Springs, GA] Indians

    Sophomore, All-Purpose

    341 all-purpose yards, 3 touchdowns

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    Barner's presence was felt no matter where he lined up. After having his punt return erased from the scorebook, he bounced back with an even longer trip to pay dirt on a 98-yard kickoff return. And he still wasn't done.

    A 40-yard touchdown by Barner on a reverse flea flicker later in the game featured the underclassman as a receiver. Then a 62-yard touchdown run on a fake punt, where Barner took a direct snap as one of the upbacks, proved to be the capper on a night when the youngster already looked ready for the next level.

    It's not like Barner's talent was in question heading into the game. The 4-star Class of 2028 prospect was named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American a year ago while playing for the Douglass [Atlanta, GA] Astros. But even so, his performance against Walton felt like a coming out party on a much bigger scale.

    Georgia may have already been familiar with the Casey Barner Show playing at the backrooms and local venues in the Peach State. But on Saturday, it moved to a bigger stage, earning Barner acclaim in the national spotlight as The Sporting News Player of the Week.

     

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    Kendall Webb

    Kendall Webb is a freelance writer with The Sporting News and the former publisher of the College Football America Yearbook. He is a proud alumnus of Kilgore College (AA), the University of Texas at Austin (BJ), Middle Tennessee State University (BS), and Harvard University (ALM). Webb has attended a high school or college football game in more than 40 states during his career as a freelance journalist, and he remains an avid follower of team sports at all levels.