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Good things come in all packages

August 28, 2008 1:18 am

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.

This year, Wallace and Barnett said Parker's record doesn't have much of a chance to stand another season.

Barnett also wants to surpass Brooke Point alum Daniel Davis' 7,080 career rushing yards, another area record.

He's 2,652 yards short of that mark, but said his goal this season is to rush for more than 3,000 yards and collect 500 receiving yards. The 2007 Free Lance-Star Player of the Year spent the offseason improving his speed.

"I haven't missed a conditioning session all year," said Barnett, who amassed 2,175 yards and 27 scores last season. "I'm 20 times more explosive. When I get in the open field, it's off to the races--and fortunately I'll win the races."

Size matters

Wallace and Barnett first met two years ago at a football combine at Harrisonburg High School.

Wallace had read about Barnett after his impressive sophomore season, but had no idea who he was when the Black-Hawks' standout approached him.

"He was like, 'I'm Chase Barnett.' And I was like, 'Oh.' I didn't recognize him because he was so short. I didn't think he would be that short," Wallace said.

That's the primary concern for Barnett on the college recruiting trail. While Wallace is a sturdy 6 feet and 231 pounds, Barnett stands 5 feet 6 inches and weighs 170 pounds.

Wallace committed to Virginia in February, spurning full scholarship offers from Penn State, Maryland and North Carolina State, while Barnett's only offer so far is from Division I-AA Liberty.

"I think his size is his biggest advantage, but I'm not going to hate on him," Barnett said. "God blessed him with that. He didn't bless me with that. But He blessed me with some things [Wallace] doesn't have."

Barnett's edge in career rushing numbers (4,428 to 3,023) doesn't matter to college coaches.

They're more attracted to Wallace partly because his size could allow him to play running back, fullback or linebacker at the next level. Barnett may have to improve on other skills such as receiving and kick returning to gain a Division I-A offer, said rivals.com recruiting analyst Jamie Oakes, a Spotsylvania resident.

"Size is the big factor," Oakes said. "There are great high school players, and that's not exactly what colleges are looking for. They're looking for that projection to be a great college player."

Wallace has just that. Even with his size, he runs the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds, just slightly slower than Barnett (4.45 seconds).

"For how big he is, he's not supposed to run that fast," Chancellor head coach Bob Oliver said. "He's special."

Oakes said Barnett is special, too. He thinks that after Brooke Point head coach Jeff Berry sends out film on the early part of Barnett's senior season, a Division I-A school will submit an offer.

He said what makes Wallace and Barnett stand out is that they can do what one wouldn't expect after a first glance at their physiques.

"Dominique looks like a big, power back, and you'd think he'd be a simple north-south runner," Oakes said. "But he has great moves in the open field, and he has quick acceleration."

Barnett is similarly multi-talented. His durability often surprises opponents; he carried the ball 73 more times than Wallace last season.

"You look at him and you think he's going to be a speed back and try to get to the outside," Oakes said. "But he actually runs with a lot of power and has great vision. Both are very talented runners."

An opponent's view

Ludden and Riverbend head coach Drew Seaman have witnessed the talent first-hand. Massaponax and Riverbend were the only two schools that played both Chancellor and Brooke Point in 2007.

Wallace rushed for 285 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Bears and 82 yards in a loss to the Panthers.

Barnett's 379 yards and four touchdowns in Brooke Point's victory over Massaponax was a career-best performance, and he picked up 192 yards and four scores in a win over Riverbend.

"They're both Division I-type runners," said Ludden, who coached former NFL running back Charlie Garner when he was the offensive coordinator at J.E.B. Stuart High School in Falls Church. "Barnett has great speed, balance and elusiveness. He really has a nose for open spaces. Wallace, that kid's got great speed and power. He's a very strong runner."

Seaman said Wallace runs very aggressively and that "he carries that attitude with him that a good football player needs."

He said Barnett's cut-back ability kept him up many nights thinking of a way to slow him down.

"That poses problems for any defense when a running back cuts in each direction so easily and so smooth," Seaman said.

Wallace and Barnett are hoping their senior seasons go as smoothly as the first three.

In the future, they're sure to keep up with each other's progress even if Wallace is excelling at Virginia and Barnett shines at a smaller school.

"I want us both to succeed," Wallace said.

Said Barnett: "I love that guy. We just have a fun time. We both know when it comes down to it, we're going to be there to support each other."

Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com