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Barnett, Wallace in a rush to compete Date published: 8/28/2008
CHASE BARNETT walked into The Free Lance-Star's The Brooke Point High School standout running back was scheduled to pose for a picture with Chancellor's Dominique Wallace, a fellow senior, who plays the same position and has orally committed to the University of Virginia. Barnett is seven inches shorter and 61 pounds lighter than Wallace, but that didn't stop some friendly trash talk--mostly "I told him, 'You know I'm bigger than you, right?'" Barnett said. "I was like, 'You know I'm faster than you. You know I'm stronger than you. I'll eat you alive.'" Wallace said little, offering only a cold stare. The rival running backs managed to get through the photo session peacefully, and afterwards, a bond was formed. The four-year starters who are mismatched in size but similar in production set their sights on the 2008 football season, particularly winning games and breaking a few Fredericksburg-area rushing records along the way. They certainly have the talent to do so; as one opposing coach said, they are perhaps the best two running backs to play in the area at the same time in the past dozen years. "They rank up there really high," Massaponax head coach Eric Ludden said. "This is my 12th year in [Spotsylvania County], and they've got to rank in the 1, 2 or 3 position." Race for the record Barnett and Wallace have never shared the same field, but the All-Area performers have followed each other's careers closely. Barnett keeps track of Wallace because "I want to see if what U.Va. recruited is just hype or the real thing." Wallace, who is technically a fullback in Chancellor's option offense, said he has watched tape of Barnett for the past three years. Wallace's interest in Barnett was piqued even further after the latter rushed for 379 yards against Massaponax last year. The total left Barnett 26 yards short of the area's single-game rushing record of 405, set by James Monroe's Trell Parker in 1996. It also motivated Wallace to rush for 342 yards and four touchdowns against Spotsylvania three weeks later. "I always try to compete with him and say, 'He did this. Well, let me do it,'" said Wallace, who finished with 1,540 yards and 23 touchdowns last year.
Date published: 8/28/2008
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