Classes choose favorite peers

On the sideline, a younger version of junior Cade Barnard supplied his older brother with water at a football game. The former waterboy is now being mentored by that best friend he looked up to.

“It is pretty cool because I get to see the other side,” Cade said. “I get to see Coach Barnard, and then I get to see my brother, Cal Barnard.”

Junior Reese Moore and his brother Coach Tanner Moore also get to share two different relationships.

“It is awesome to watch him play sometimes and just be a brother,” Coach Moore said. “It is also pretty cool because it is fun to coach good players, and he is a good player.”

Even though separating the different relationships may be hard sometimes, the bond provides a unique experience.

“It has benefitted me because first of all, Cade is a really good athlete, so it makes it easy on me,” Coach Barnard said. “Second, it allows me to have a voice with those who play the same position. Sometimes, like when I am working with linebackers, I don’t have to work with him because I have already done that. It gives me more time to work with the other guys because I already know that he knows what he is doing.”

Coach Barnard said the relationship changed his perspective. “It certainly gives you some light into what techniques are working especially when you get home and can ask, ‘What did the ,guys in the locker room think about this? Was it a good idea or a bad idea?’ so sometimes it gives you a little bit of insight that you would normally not have because you have that open line of communication.”

The relationship is not only helpful from a coach’s view, but also as a player.

“It has benefitted me by raising my level of intelligence of a game to a higher level,” Cade said. “He had his experience with college sports, and now that he is coaching me, it benefits me because he has already been there and done that.”

These relationships are beneficial in more than one way Reese said. “I definitely have a sense of respect I need to give the coaches,” Reese said. “However, having my brother there helps lighten the mood a little bit so I can relate better to them.”

Even though the brother bond has positive effects, it can also be hard to keep both relationships healthy. “It is difficult because he is my brother, and when he has to be harsh to me, it is harder because we are supposed to be chill together,” Cade said. “However, it is fun because you get to be with him and be coached even when you are resting.”

Cade was not surprised that his brother ended up as his coach. “I really saw him coaching me going on,” Cade said. “Even when I was in Little League or YFL, he would always coach me because he always knew so much about other sports.”

Being able to see each other off the field allowed a new respect to develop.

“The bond between us has gotten stronger because he and I understand the struggles that we both go through,” Coach Barnard said. “When we get home from practice, and he is working on homework until 10:30 to 11:30 at night, and I am breaking down film or working on stats, it gives you a real appreciation for each other.”

Getting to see each other every day is something most brothers don’t get because one would go off to college and a career.

“Having my brother there to help me through sports in high school is pretty cool,” Reese said. “It is a neat experience not a lot of people get to have.”

Whether it was on the field or off the field having a brother along side was a unique experience. “Our relationship has grown,” Cade said. “Before, we were just brothers; now we are like best friends, and he is my coach and brother.”