Barnett's 2006 experience unique at Reliant Stadium

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Barnett's 2006 experience unique at Reliant Stadium

By Tom Halliburton

The Port Arthur News

PORT NECHES -- Drew Barnett can explain the feeling of playing quarterback for the first time against a loaded Brenham team in Reliant Stadium's unique environment.

  Even a high school quarterback named Peyton Manning or Tom Brady might find it difficult, but the 5-9, 153-pound Barnett could call such an outing pretty overwhelming.

  The 18-year-old son of Lance and Alicia Barnett has developed quite a golf game in the past year while he has strolled around area courses. The biggest sand trap on his course this Friday likely will be the La Marque Cougars at 5 o'clock in, you guessed it, Reliant Stadium.

  But a few things about this Reliant experience obviously will feel a bit different for Barnett and his fellow Port Neches-Groves seniors. For one thing, Barnett will start at wide receiver and likely will alternate at left corner, rather than quarterback.

  A year later, Barnett recalls that exciting first opportunity to play at Reliant.

  "It was overwhelming," he said on Tuesday. "To tell you the truth, I wasn't that nervous. I know what we had in front of us. Once you started playing, you weren't really thinking any of Reliant but before the game, it was different."

  Barnett never been a starting varsity quarterback. Meanwhile Brenham stood on the opposite side of the ball with several major college defensive prospects. It was enough of a scary proposition, yet Barnett was up to delivering a solid performance in a losing cause.

  "I knew what I had to do," Drew recalled. "I couldn't get all that excited. It took me awhile to get going."

  Barnett has known what he has had to do as a student, too. His grade-average is 3.28 going into his senior year at PN-G. He's been a solid, dependable member of coach Jay Stone's baseball program, too. But Drew's real career just might start on the tee box and end on the putting green. They pay these golfers pretty good money these days.

  Drew may have withstood golf a year ago. Back when PN-G went to Reliant Stadium last year, Barnett was lucky to break 90 in an 18-hole round. That's back in his quarterback days. That's then. This is now. Not every aspiring Tiger Woods is holding a golf club while wearing diapers. Some happen to be late bloomers.

  That's what happened to Drew. He became real addicted to golf this year. He played four or five rounds a week during most of the summer.

  "I think 70 is the best I've ever shot but I just started playing and got addicted," he said.

  A member at Belle Oaks, Barnett says his long driving represents the strength of his game. Now if he can improve his putting. If Barnett survives Friday night's game against La Marque well enough, he figures to play in a Crystal Beach weekend tournament at Rancho Carribe C.C.

  Since this is supposed to be a football feature, let's delve further into Drew's special contribution to the 2006 Indians' season. When Harrison Tatum replaced Barnett as quarterback in the District 22-4A opener against Ozen, the grandson of Barnett Construction's Mike Barnett understandably seemed upset.

  That's when Drew's true character and unselfishness shined brightest. He rolled with the disappointment, adapted to the team's needs and helped PN-G to still win five games. When the change had to be made, the Indians' chief honestly consulted privately with Drew and the rest has worked for the best.