BY HANNAH SAUNDERS, Junior
BLYTHEWOOD—With nine minutes left in Blythewood High’s 2015 boys’ soccer playoff game against Dorman High School, the crowd anxious and roaring, freshman Grayson Barber scored a crucial goal to tie the game 1-1 which led to a 3-1 Bengal win and an advance to the 3rd round of playoffs.
“Grayson has a fun personality and a positive relationship with the other boys. We will miss him as a person, not just as the goal scorer,” stated Blythewood varsity soccer coach Peter Wittig.
Barber, a former Blythewood native and resident, moved to Kansas City to play on an elite team known as Sporting Kansas City to further develop his soccer skills and pursue his dreams by experiencing new opportunities.
A new lifestyle
Grayson beats Arlington player to the ball while playing for club team South Carolina United (Photo provided by Kathy Knight)
Barber moved to Kansas City on August 9 in order to continue his soccer career. Currently living with a host family, Barber was forced to leave behind his school, friends, family, girlfriend, and his team.
He has been playing soccer for 11 years. His first memories from soccer are hard to believe, coming from such a talented player.
“I remember running around the Polo soccer fields when I was about four years old always complaining about the tags of my jerseys. I would always run off the field after I would score and just sit in my mom’s lap crying about the tags,” Barber joked.
Barber began his soccer career playing with South Carolina United, a traveling soccer team located in South Carolina, and then also started playing for Blythewood High School during his freshman year.
His club team once played against MLS team Sporting Kansas City resulting in Barber being recognized by their coach. Barber currently plays for Sporting Kansas City’s development team.
The decision to move to Kansas City was not easy for anyone involved in Barber’s life.
“The main thing was if I was mature enough to move out to Kansas City on my own. Another thing was I didn’t want to leave my family and friends,” Barber said.
In addition to being concerned about leaving his family and having to learn to live on his own, Barber was most concerned about food.
“I am also a very picky eater and my club coach and parents were saying if I really wanted to do this I would have to be more open to eating foods because my host family could eat whatever they want, and I would just have to be okay with it,” Barber said.
Now that he has moved, Barber devotes about 10 hours a week to soccer, resulting from one and a half hour practices on all weekdays and 80 minute games on the weekends.
Barber says a day with his host family is as normal as a day with his own family back home. They eat breakfast together, sometimes go hit golf balls on a driving range, eat lunch together, then go off and do their own activities for the rest of the day until dinner time.
Barber attends Blue Valley Northwest High School. It has many staggering differences compared to Blythewood in relation to population, school spirit, and schedule.
“There is barely any school spirit here compared to Blythewood,” Barber said. “The only weird thing about my new school is the schedule. We have seven hours, or class periods, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays we go to all our classes, but on Wednesday’s we go to 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th hour.”
When they learned about his move, both Barber’s coaches and teammates were very supportive.
“Liam Murphy was someone I always talked to about the decision. He knew it was hard for me and was always there for me when it got hard and I couldn’t thank him enough,” Barber recalled.
Barber’s soccer life was bound to change, but the changes in his family life were very significant.
“My life has gotten a little harder because I don’t have them here with me everyday to help me with whatever is going on in my life. One of the things I miss the most is morning car rides with my sister,” he commented.
In regards to his girlfriend, junior Haley Branham, Barber has many positive things to say.
“My relationship with Haley has gotten so much stronger. She has always supported my decision no matter what.”
Moving to Kansas City has opened many doors for Barber’s athletic life.
Traveling all over the country to play soccer has allowed colleges to recognize his playing ability and has opened up the opportunity for him to play professionally.
“My plans after high school are undecided because I hope I get signed to play professionally, but if not I have interest in playing soccer at Clemson, Wake Forest, and USC,” Barber said.
According to his friends, Barber’s determination is more than admirable for anyone on the outside looking in.
“Always work hard because you never know who is watching you. Always take it seriously, even if it is practice, because it pushes you to work harder and get better while at the same time it makes your teammates better as well,” Barber expressed as a key piece of advice for those who strive to be successful.
Barber has had to make many changes in his normal life as a result of the move, but his sense of humor has stayed the same. He stated through his move, one thing has not changed.
“I am still afraid of the dark, and I sleep with a nightlight that Haley got for me,” Barber said.
An unforgettable impact
Barber and Blythewood teammate Justin Germano Germano celebrating after Barber’s winning goal against JL Mann (Photo provided by Kathy Knight)
Branham, although she misses him, believes her boyfriend moving has made a positive impact on their relationship.
“Having Grayson move away has strengthened our relationship in so many ways. We realize what it would be like to not have each other, and it shows us how much we really need each other,” she said.
The hardest part about Barber’s move for Branham is the fact they are not able to see each other in person very often. They are constantly trying to make time to text, FaceTime, or to do anything else to be able to communicate.
In addition to his relationship with Branham, Barber’s move also affected his high school coach and team.
“Hopefully, his determination rubbed off on the other guys,” Wittig stated.
“He is great at finishing and scoring. He has a determination to score goals that few players have,” Wittig said. “He is physically bothered if we lose a game and he feels like he let the team down.”
During the playoffs last year, Wittig described Barber’s significant impact on the entire team. After Barber scored the goal to tie the game against Dorman, his effort inspired the team. The boys moved on to the 3rd round of playoffs excited and confident.
Friends and teammates Justin Germano and Sebastian Gutierrez reminisced on time they shared with Barber.
Both Germano and Gutierrez agree playing with Barber is what they miss the most.
“He was always very brotherly and loving towards other people, he would always hug us and he was always happy,” Germano remembers.
Eli Lake, a friend of Barber’s, Gutierrez, and Germano all attest to the fact that Barber is the most competitive person they have met and that his passion and emotion for the game are remarkable.
Murphy, played with Barber both on their high school team and their selected club team in Montabaur, Germany. This team was hand-picked by coaches of South Carolina United to play against teams from all over the globe.
“He was one of my roommates on the trip, and I think I got maybe six hours of sleep during the extent of the stay all thanks to Grayson and his past-midnight adventures and activities,” joked Murphy.
Murphy described Barber as a people-pleaser. He likes to keep everyone happy and puts others before himself.
“Ultimately, I told him that he had to do what’s best for him, and that was to make the move to Sporting KC. They are lucky to have a freak of nature on the soccer field like Grayson Barber,” Murphy said.
Barber has made a tremendous impact on his girlfriend, friends, and teammates. His family is also living a different life without him.
“When he moved, I lost my best friend. He is definitely one of the first people I went to talk to about things and we did pretty much everything together,” sister Taylor Barber expressed.
Grayson’s mother, Kathy Knight, says his move has been bittersweet. She is extremely happy he has been offered this opportunity, but she didn’t realize how hard it would be for her.
“What I miss most is his personality. He has the ability to always make me laugh or when I’m in a bad mood he could always find a way to make me laugh instead of cry. But I’m really proud of what he has accomplished in his soccer career so far,” Knight said.
Grayson’s impact on his family, friends, and teammates exemplifies his special personality and his will and determination to always be the best player and person that he can be.
As Grayson rushes to the sidelines into the arms of his teammates after scoring the crucial goal, his loving personality and devotion to his team is clearly evident.
