Barnett, Wallace in a rush to compete

Date published: 8/28/2008

CHASE BARNETT walked into The Free Lance-Star's photography studio, and immediately the verbal jostling began.

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 from Barnett.

"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.

GAME 1. 405 TRELL PARKER, JM vs. Bruton 1996 2. 400 TRELL PARKER, JM vs. Louisa 1996 3. 379 CHASE BARNETT, 4. 364 LAMAR STEWART, Essex vs. JM 2004 5. 363 JOHN PARKER, K.G. vs. Stafford 1996 SEASON 1. 3,039 ERIC BATES, James Monroe 1987 2. 2,760 TRELL PARKER, James Monroe 1996 3. 2,534 TODD SHELTON, Louisa 2006 4. 2,382 THOMAS McCLELLAND, Stafford 2002 5. 2,225 DANIEL DAVIS, Brooke Point 1998 CAREER 1. 7,080 DANIEL DAVIS, Brooke Point 1995-98 2. 6,732 LAMAR STEWART, Essex 2003-06 3. 6,436 JARED WORMLEY, Essex 1995-98 4. 5,547 ERIC BATES, James Monroe 1985-87 5. 5,064 ANDRE BRAXTON, Caroline 1992-94 4,428 CHASE BARNETT, Brooke Point 3,023 DOMINIQUE WALLACE, Chancellor

Date published: 8/28/2008