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Kleinpeter's Family Tradition in Athletics

Kleinpeter has put his team on his shoulders the last two weeks as he led SCD to an overtime win over Savannah Christian in the final game of the regular season, earning a first-round home playoff game. Then the Hornets edged Stratford Academy 21-19 last Friday to advance to the second round of the GHSA Class A Private playoffs, where they will be on the road Friday to face Holy Innocents' in Atlanta.
The standout senior's primary position is quarterback, which he plays with a linebacker's mentality to complement his strong, accurate arm and high football IQ. But he also actually plays linebacker and safety for the Hornets and returns kicks and punts.

Kleinpeter has committed to play at New Hampshire and he is excited about the future, but he has loved his high school experience and is doing all he can to make it last as long as possible.

"We've been wanting to play to keep playing and I wanted to win this one so we could have another week of practice and another game," Kleinpeter said after the win over Stratford Academy. "For a lot of my teammates, this could be their last football game, their last time strapping it on. Now we get to strap it on together at least one more time."

That fire has always burned inside Kleinpeter, who also is an accomplished baseball and basketball player for the Hornets.

His grandfather, Bill Kleinpeter, was a standout left-handed pitcher in his prep days at Savannah High.

Barry's father, Barry Kleinpeter Sr., was an outstanding athlete in his high school days at Calvary Day, winning the Ashley Dearing Award as Savannah's most versatile boys high school athlete in 1992. Barry's aunt, Susie Kleinpeter, won the Hollis Stacy Award as the most versatile female athlete in Savannah for Calvary Day in 1994.

In his prep days at Calvary Day, Barry Kleinpeter Sr. was a tight end/strong safety on the football team, and said his best sport was baseball. He was also a standout basketball player on a talented team that included his cousin, Michael Kleinpeter, who averaged more than 20 points a game, and the high-scoring Adam Mobley, who put up more than 30 points a game.

"I led in assists," Kleinpeter Sr. said with a laugh. "But Barry is a way better athlete than I ever dreamed of being.

Barry Kleinpeter, center, with his father, Barry Sr., his mother Jennifer, his sister Katie and his brother Brooks in a family photo taken in Forsyth Park.

"Watching Barry and the team play this year has been great," said Kleinpeter Sr., a UGA graduate. "They dealt with so much adversity at the start of the year, and to see them turn things around — it's been such a payoff for all the hard work they have put in."

SCD won its first two games, then lost star senior receiver/defensive back Kenny Odom for the season because of a shoulder injury in a loss to Metter — the first of six setbacks in a row for the Hornets.

But with the season on the line, SCD has shown its mettle, battling to the end behind its leader Kleinpeter,

The way Barry plays, it's not something you can teach," Kleinpeter Sr. said. "You either have it in you or you don't. I'm constantly telling him to get down and avoid hits when he runs the ball, maybe try to juke a defender, but that's not his way. It's a business decision when a defender tries to take him down."

Kleinpeter said his earliest football memory came from his days with the Islands Pirates.

"I was like 7 years old on the 8-and-under team and we were going through Oklahoma drills at practice," Kleinpeter said. "You figure out pretty quick doing those that football isn't for everybody. I've just always loved the physicality of the game."

He said he has always been a three-sport guy, and he said it runs in the family.

"My dad played all three sports and won the Dearing Award, and I've always wanted to be like my dad," Barry Kleinpeter said. "I've always loved the competitiveness of all sports, and they help you in other sports. If you're facing a 3-2 count at the plate in a baseball game, you can look at it like you're leading a fourth-quarter drive in football.

"But football has always been my favorite, it's such a team sport. And playing quarterback, I feel like I can have a big impact on the game. You work so hard in practice every day, and then to see it pay off in games is rewarding. And when you're playing high school ball, size and athleticism sometimes doesn't matter as much as heart does. Our guys want it, and always work to be the best we can be."

SCD coach John Mohring, the former All-America linebacker at Georgia Southern, is in his first season leading the Hornets program. Mohring said he wishes he could have coached Kleinpeter for more than one season.

"His stats speaks for themselves, but he is such a competitor — he reminds me of how I used to be when I played," Mohring said. "He is constantly begging me to go in on defense or special teams from the sideline. The kids respond to his leadership so well. Whenever Barry is out there, they know that there is a chance something special will happen. He elevates everyone's play."

Kleinpeter has thrown for 1,470 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, while rushing for 586 yards and six scores. A four-year starter behind center, Kleinpeter has rewritten the Savannah Country Day record book with more that 6,800 yards passing and 74 touchdown passes to go along with more than 1,400 yards rushing and 19 more scores.

Those passing totals are the best in Savannah since Maxpreps started posting statistics in 2002, and must rank near the top in Savannah history.

Barry said he enjoys hunting and fishing, and listening to country music. He said getting outdoors slows things down, and he has come to appreciate it.

Kleinpeter has a younger brother, Brooks, who is a freshman tight end with the Hornets, and an older sister, Katie, who was a standout basketball player at SCD and now attends Kennesaw State.

His mother, Jennifer, said her children are the light of her life.

"Barry Sr. was the big man on campus back in the day at Calvary Day, and to see Barry become such a great player makes us so proud," Jennifer Kleinpeter said. "He's humble and has always let his play speak for itself. His first word was 'ball' and he's always loved any kind of sport since he could walk. He's a special athlete, and he's always had something magical about him when he plays."

Barry's grandfather, Bill, has been a mainstay at every Hornets practice and game watching his grandson become one of the top quarterbacks in Savannah history.

He said he was best known in the 1950s as that pitcher in Little League who intimidated batters with his velocity. Then in high school, his pitching matchups against former Benedictine star Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, who went on to a stellar career as an MLB player and broadcaster, would pack Grayson Stadium.

Now he loves watching his grandson carry on the family legacy.

"I was able to watch my son play all the sports from the time he could move through his high school days, and our daughter, Susie, was also a great athlete," Bill Kleinpeter said. "My wife wasn't an athlete, so I'm not sure where they got it.

"With Barry, he's been the same way — just loving whatever sport was in season. It's been interesting to watch, because he not only has the ability, but the desire to do the best he could. I've loved watching him play everything."

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