Texas back has incredible night
It's hard to imagine that one player could stand out in a game that featured more than 1,100 yards of total offense and 117 points.
But running back Jordan Barnes did just that when he ran for 522 yards and six touchdowns to help Van Alstyne (Texas) High defeat Farmersville (Texas) High, 62-55, in a wild-and-crazy Class 3A non-district game last Friday night.
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"It was an amazing experience," Barnes said. "I was pretty surprised hearing what the stats were. I made sure to thank my offensive line because without them this would have never happened."
Barnes' rushing total is the fourth highest in the storied history of Texas high school football. Amazingly, though, it's just the second-highest total this season. Hemphill (Texas) High's Justin Twine ran for 534 yards earlier this year against West Sabine.
Last Friday, however, belonged to Van Alstyne's Barnes, who ran 34 times on the night. He scored on runs of 83, 11, 41, 12, 45, and 6 yards for the school located in North texas, roughly 50 miles north of Dallas.
Van Alstyne head coach Mikeal Miller was stunned by Barnes' efforts.
"Obviously we are very proud of Jordan and the rest of our team," he said. "He did a lot of that on his own but it was definitely a team effort. Our offensive line and receivers did a great job of blocking."
And not just for Barnes. Van Alstyne gained 740 yards on the ground as a team.
"It was a great game," Miller said. "Farmersville is a good football team. This is a game where you learn some things you can use down the road."
The Panther offensive line consisting of Garrett Dansby (RT), Manuel Monge (RG), Connor Mayes (C), Mark Boevers (LG), and Alex Mayes (LT) pounded the Farmers opening up holes for Barnes and Drew Dennis who added 138 yards on the ground with another three scores.
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The victory is Van Alstyne's third straight after opening the season with two losses.
Through five games, Barnes has rushed for 1,240 yards on 104 attempts. And when he's not carrying the ball, he's playing outside linebacker.
One thing he's not is a statistician. Barnes said he had no knowledge of his totals during the game.
"I was not aware what the stats were until after the game so all I focused on was keeping our offense going and winning the game," Barnes said. "I'm just going to keep practicing and working hard then if it's in our future, God will grant us with another amazing game."
Praising others, Miller said that's just the type of kid Barnes is.
"Jordan is a great kid and very deserving of everything he earns," Miller said. "He's quick to give credit to our team for their hard work while he gets the attention.
"We knew that he has a special talent and he just proves it week in and week out. Tonight he put an exclamation mark on it."
Texas High School Single-Game Rushing Yards
587-Daryl Ellis, Somerville vs. Thrall, 1998
534-Justin Twine, Hemphill vs. West Sabine, 2011
525-Tyson Thompson, Irving vs. Hurst Bell, 1998
522-Jordan Barnes, Van Alstyne vs. Farmersville, 2011
520-Kenneth Hall, Sugar Land vs. Lutheran, 1953
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