By EJ Holland | Photos by BluDoor Studio
Zach Farrar will go down as one of the best athletes to everbrcome through Southlake Carroll. But his sports career didn't exactly get off tobra promising start.
At just four years old, Farrar entered a tee-ball leaguebrthat was for kids a little older than him. In his first game, Farrar wasbrdetermined to prove he could compete and smacked the ball into the outfield.
There was just one problem—Farrar ran the wrong way.
“He took off to third base, and I was like ‘oh my God, webrdon't have a chance here,'” says Farrar's father, Steve. “We started yelling atbrhim to run back to first base, so he did. And he made it there and was safe. Ibrwas like ‘okay, this kid is fast.' It's a true story.”
Farrar went on to earn a number of accolades throughout hisbryouth league career and eventually became one of the key pieces to SouthlakebrCarroll's baseball team. As a junior, Farrar was named a Rawlings HonorablebrMention All-American as an outfielder.
But baseball wasn't the only sport in which Farrar excelled.brHe also dominated the gridiron as quarterback up until his junior year when hebrmade a transition to wide receiver. This past season, Farrar led the team withbr56 receptions for 1,114 yards and 19 touchdowns and helped the Dragons earn yetbranother postseason berth.
Farrar now has the opportunity to play both sports at thebrnext level. And that's exactly what he intends to do. Farrar signed hisbrNational Letter of Intent with Oklahoma in February.
“I feel like we really filled a need at wide receiver bybrgetting Zach Farrar,” says Oklahoma Head Football Coach Bob Stoops. “He's abrbig, strong receiver that will really have a presence on the outside. We reallybrpushed for him. He's a great athlete.”
Balancing two sports and a full load of coursework won't bebreasy, but Steve believes his son is ready.
“College is hard,” Steve says. “Being a Division I athletebris harder. Playing two Division I sports is even harder. The biggest thing Ibrtell Zach is he has to plan. He has to be on top of things and maximize hisbrtime. I think he's going to push himself to accomplish his goals.”
Farrar sat down with DragonbrPride to talk about some of those goals,brhis athletic career at Southlake Carroll and what he hopes to accomplish duringbrhis last baseball season with the Dragons.
DP: Overall, how have you been able to balance playing footballbrand baseball and keeping up your grades throughout your career at SouthlakebrCarroll?
Zach Farrar reels in a
Zach Farrar reels in a
Mason Holmes pass for a
TD vs Tulsa Union.
Photo by Fotosport.
ZF: It’s been abrjourney. I had some ups and downs, but overall it’s been a fun experiencebrgetting to play both football and baseball. The experience has been anbreye-opener. Both sports have helped me get ready for the real world by havingbrto deal with different teammates and situations. It really taught me a lot. Ibrhad a lot of fun meeting people and competing. Just looking back at everything,brit’s been a ride.
DP: You recently wrapped up your final year of high schoolbrfootball. What were some of your biggest highlights?
ZF: The CedarbrHill game was a big one. I had a big catch late that helped put us over thebrtop. The last game against Denton Guyer was memorable. It was our last gamebrtogether, and we went out with a bang. The Coppell game was crazy. We weren’tbrgetting much done offensively, and I stepped up with three touchdowns, and webrwon in double overtime. Those three games define my senior year.
DP: On the football side of things, you made your mark as abrwide receiver. But I know you originally played quarterback. What was thatbrtransition like?
ZF: They breedbrquarterbacks at Southlake Carroll, and we already had a good one in Ryan Agnew.brMy junior year I flipped over for the better of the team, and it was a goodbrmove. It was tough at first. I wasn’t that open to doing it. But once I gotbrinto it, and I realized that I ran good routes and knew the ins and outs of thebrposition because of my time at quarterback, I embraced it. It worked out for mebrand the team in the long run.
DP: Does baseball help out with football or vice versa?
ZF: It’s allbrabout being versatile. Coaches and recruiters love versatile athletes. Playingbrboth really helped with my focus. For me, it’s all about seeing the ball withbryour eyes. And you need good hand-eye coordination for both sports. It’s a bigbrpart.
DP: Two players that really excelled at both sports at a highbrlevel were Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson. Have you done much research on them?
ZF: Trust me,brI’ve done a lot of research on them, especially Bo. He was a big guy that couldbrhit well and throw well. He just had the all-around tools. He’s my role model.brHe paved the way for multi-sport athletes. He had the fundamentals down, and hebrhad raw talent.
DP: You signed with Oklahoma to play both sports afterbrinitially being committed to Mississippi State. What pushed the Sooners overbrthe edge?
ZF: Well, firstbrof all, it’s a dream come true to play both sports at the next level. It’s abrblessing. Oklahoma is obviously a powerhouse team in football, and I feel likebrI can make an early impact there. On the baseball side of things, they arebrreally developing the program. I know I can come in and jump in early. I’mbrready to work hard so I can go in there and play early. There was nothing Ibrdidn’t like about Mississippi State, but Oklahoma had two things—it was closerbrto home and the opportunity in both sports was a little better.
DP: The recruiting process is so crazy for athletes to dealbrwith these days. How did you handle it?
ZF: Thebrrecruiting process actually didn’t play out the way I thought it would. While abrbunch of guys were getting offers around me, I really wasn’t. But I remainedbrpatient, and a lot of schools came in late. I felt like coaches were missingbrout on me, but it really ended up on the positive side for me with Oklahoma.
DP: What do you want to major in at Oklahoma and what careerbrwould you like to pursue?
ZF: I’m goingbrinto pre-law. I want to go into law after my career or if baseball and footballbrjust doesn’t work out. I spoke with the dean of law at Oklahoma when I went onbrmy official visit. He said he would be my mentor, which was great. I love law.brI love watching judge shows and reading, which is a big part of it.
DP: If you had to pick one sport, which one would you choose?
ZF: Footballbrbecause I know my dad said baseball (laughs). But honestly, it would be a hardbrdecision. It would come down to the wire. I have love for both sports.
DP: You are still in the middle of your senior baseball season.brWhat are some of your goals for the rest of the year?
ZF: Hit a lot ofbrhomeruns! I’m serious. That’s my big goal. I want to hit homeruns. I want to gobrover the fence. I’ve established that I can get base hits. I’m trying to hitbrsome homeruns this year.