In Licking, there is a legend. A legend of a young man who once set the state basketball record for most points in a quarter with 17. He finished that game with 54 points against Alton on January 10.
A legend of a baseball player who tried track during an off day in May, helping set a new school record in the 4 x 200 meter relay and the 4 x 100 meter relay, his first time out of the blocks.
And a legend of a player who catapulted his team to the Final Four. With a walk-off steal of home in extra innings.
It’s no urban legend. It’s real. It’s Karson Walker.
“I’d have to put stealing home as my favorite because, you know, taking our team to State, that’s a pretty big deal,” said Karson, a senior at Licking.
“And then my basketball game,” Karson said. “That one’s pretty good.”
“My text that I got was, ‘Karson scored 54.’” said Cole Roark, Licking’s head baseball coach. “So just real simple. And of course I’m like, ‘No way, this is a prank.’”
“I have like one game over 27 points in my whole high school career,” Karson said, with a laugh. “And it’s 54 points. So, everything besides that, my next best is 27.”
“And then track was just a bonus,” Karson said. “It just happened.”
That school record time put them in clear contention for a berth to the state tournament. But when it was time to qualify there was just one problem. “I took a few steps, and I didn’t have the baton yet,” Karson said. “So I kind of looked back and he was rolling on the ground, and I was like, ‘Oh that sucks.’ So I ran back and picked it up and ran anyways. We ended up not getting last place somehow still.”
Karson wants to keep helping athletes who fall down, and go to school to be a sports medicine physician. Whether he’s called a doctor or not someday, he’ll always be called something else around here.
“A Licking legend for sure,” Roark said. “Got to be one of the most decorated guys we’ve had come through. In a school with a lot of tradition.”
With more decorative hardware to come at the Final Four. “‘This is amazing,” Karson said. “It’s exactly how I’d want it to end. “I’m really glad I got to know when my last games were. That’s a blessing.”
It just depends on what color that hardware will be.