Travis Burk will be the first-ever head football coach at College Heights Christian School.
Burk has recently been tabbed to lead the Cougars, who will debut an 8-man football team in the fall of 2022.
“It’s a great opportunity to start a new program,” Burk said. “I’m so excited and I feel God has blessed me. I love the school. I can’t say enough good things about College Heights. College Heights has a great faculty and a great administration. The kids and the parents at College Heights are great too. It’s a God-loving school and very focused on academics. One reason we came to Joplin was to get our kids in that school and in that environment. It was definitely a positive experience for my kiddos.”
Due to increased interest from students and parents, College Heights has approved adding a football program for the 2022 season.
Burk noted his program will do things the right way.
“A big part of our program is going to be building integrity and confidence and it will be about being part of something that’s bigger than one person,” Burk said. “High school football teaches lifelong lessons. It’s a brotherhood. It’s very important that it will be a safe environment too. We’re going to teach kids how to tackle and block correctly without getting hurt. The most important thing to me is our program will represent godly values and a relationship with Jesus. To me, doing things the right way is very important.”
When it comes to the game of football, Burk has extensive experience. He played college football at both Emporia State and Baker University. Burk has been a head coach at both Oswego and Humboldt in Southeast Kansas, while he’s been an assistant coach at Neodesha, Chanute and Labette County.
Burk, who gave up coaching the last few years in order to watch his daughters play high school sports, has also coached state champions in powerlifting.
Burk and wife Tanya have three daughters — Keyahnah, Kaynahn and Klohe. Keyahnah attended Labette County, Kaynahn is a recent College Heights graduate, while Klohe attended CHC before transferring to Carl Junction.
As far as next fall, Burk said CHC currently has seven dates finalized, five on the road and two at home. College Heights is still trying to add a couple more games to the ’22 schedule. The Cougars will likely be playing their home dates at the Joplin High School athletic complex.
As far as the 8-man game, Burk noted it’s enjoyable to play and entertaining to watch.
“8-man football is a really fast game,” Burk noted. “It will be exciting to watch. It’s going to be high-scoring and entertaining for the fans. I’m not sure what our numbers will be exactly yet, but I think it will be a good fit for the kids we’ll have and I think people will see some entertaining games.”
Burk, who recently met with athletes interested in suiting up for the Cougars, said prospective football players will start lifting weights at least two mornings a week this spring. Summer workouts will follow ahead of the program’s inaugural season next fall.
“I’m just excited to get started,” Burk said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And I think we can make a difference in the lives of a lot of kids.”
