MACON — Qendarrion Barnett’s laugh — a quick “Heh-heh” — gets you thinking.
A few minutes later, as you watch the Noxubee County High school senior stroke his burgeoning goatee, a smile comes across your face and you see why the nickname fits him so well.
No, not the moniker “June bug” that was given to Barnett by his mother, Lakeisha Hunt, and probably is more recognizable. The one you’re thinking of is “old man,” which is the one members of the Noxubee County High football team are more apt to use around one of the veterans of the reigning 2014 Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state champions.
Last season, Barnett paced the Tigers (14-2) with 116 solo tackles and 183 overall tackles. He also had seven tackles for loss, eight and a half sacks, and one interception. This season, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound middle linebacker might be asked to play an even bigger role considering Noxubee County will have to replace its outside linebackers and its cornerbacks and will have only three senior starters on defense (Barnett, defensive end Jeffery Simmons, and safety Deveon Ball).
Barnett isn’t backing away from that challenge. In fact, he has set the bar higher for himself by stating his goal this season is 200 tackles. For someone who played in six games as a sophomore and had four solo (11 overall) tackles, that’s a big jump in two years, but Noxubee County coach Tyrone Shorter believes Barnett can get there based on how much he has matured.
“He didn’t miss a day in the summer,” Shorter said. “He is that quarterback defensively who puts everybody in the right position. I have given him the go-ahead to change plays on defense and to audible into different calls. I think we are on the same page. He is like that coach on the field.”
Barnett and the Tigers will kick off what they hope will be another title run at 7 p.m. Friday when they play host to Class 6A power Starkville. Last season, Starkville defeated Noxubee County 51-19. The memory of that game doesn’t sit well with the Tigers, but you won’t hear them offer any bulletin board material. Old men like Barnett won’t allow that to happen because it will take away from the team’s focus.
“There isn’t any more pressure on me this season because I trust and believe in them,” Barnett said, referring to outside linebackers Kalmorris Robinson and Eddison Little, who are juniors. “I have been working with them, helping them get stronger and faster, and helping them recognize the formations and everything. I don’t see them being younger. I see them as extensions of me on both sides because I have worked with them and they know what I know now.”
Shorter said “every coach in the country” would want Barnett if he was 6-2 or 6-3. As it stands now, Shorter said Barnett likely will fit as a “hybrid-type safety” in college if he doesn’t grow any more. Shorter doesn’t envision Barnett having a problem making that transition because he said his football IQ is so high, much like the knowledge of the game Simmons possesses. Those two will be counted on to provide pressure on the quarterback and leadership to a defense that will look to find its legs early in the season against one of the state’s toughest schedules.
In Barnett, Shorter said the Tigers have the ideal leader in the center of their defense. He said Barnett always has been a “rugged” and an intelligent player. He said Barnett often is overlooked because of his size. That changes, though, when Barnett flies to the ball and makes contact.
“He is one of those kids you hate to lose him,” Shorter said. “He is a two-year starter for us who knows the defense. I call him an old man because he acts like an old man. He just acts older than what he is. I am glad to have him because he can do so much for us defensively.”
Barnett said he has heard people talk about his size a lot and that he uses it as motivation to work even harder so he can attract someone’s attention, or to get a college coach to look at him. He feels the speed with which he plays is a direct result of being overlooked and underappreciated in terms of strength for so long.
Just like an “old man,” Shorter said Barnett doesn’t take any grief from his teammates and is quick to set the example. He said Barnett’s quiet, hard-working approach has served as the example for younger players to follow.
Barnett just smiles when asked about his age-appropriate nickname. He laughs when he says coaches and teammates tell him he walks kind of slow, just like an old man. Entering his senior season, Barnett admits the finality is sinking in and that he feels the end is in sight. That’s why he just might have to pick up the pace a little bit and provide a few more reminders to show the old man can still get around and get things done.
“I like the responsibility,” Barnett said. “I am trying to take (the younger players) under my wing and trying to teach them what I know so when they become seniors they can teach the younger generation. I just like having that on my shoulders, knowing I am helping them become better players.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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