By Chris Cox

Shawnee senior Landon Davis-Barkus has been playing football since elementary school and from the first day, he knew this was a sport he would love.

“I’ve been playing football since fourth grade and fell in love with it then,” he says. “I love the relationships you build with your teammates. You have to rely on one another to be a solid team.”

The Shawnee Wolves are a young football team this year with Davis-Barkus being one of just a handful of seniors. He knows that a lot is going to be asked of him but he’s ready for that challenge.

“Coach Sexton has been on me to pave the way for the younger kids and show them what’s important, including in the classroom,” he says. “On the field, it’s all about energy and picking the younger guys up and making sure they believe in themselves. We have the talent; we just don’t have the experience yet.”

With a young roster, Davis-Barkus knows that everyone will need to buy in for the Wolves to have success and that’s why he’s echoing coach Jason Sexton’s message of family. “Coach Sexton talks about family more than he talks about anything else,” Davis-Barkus says. “The thing that’s special about this year is that we have kids that are bought in. In past years, we’ve had the talent, but something was missing. I realized everyone was playing for themselves and their stats. We’ve gotten away from that and are now focused on each other. It’s a whole new environment. This isn’t the same Shawnee. Things have changed and changed for the better.”

That attitude of family and togetherness is one reason Davis-Barkus was named a Character Counts athlete.

“Character is everything,” he says. “Having good character and being a good person is everything, especially in this locker room. We definitely emphasize having good character and humility on the field.” Following graduation, Davis-Barkus has plans laid out. “My plan is to attend college, play football, and try to play professionally.”