2-way athlete Barney brings energy to young Bears team
WEEKLY BLOG: 6/7/20
Well before the 2020 season begins, every high school football player has had to process the misfortune of not having spring ball, 7-on-7 competitions in the summer, and big man challenges for the linemen. This past semester wasn't spent in the classroom with their friends, it occurred on computer screens from the safety of their homes due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the assignments they've been doing at Basha High School is having about five to eight players write a few paragraphs on how they've dealt with adversity. Each week, accounts of personal struggles and the way they handled them were posted on a team message board for their teammates to see.
This will serve them well as they embark on this new journey over the next two months of preparation for the upcoming year. Last season, the Bears came out of the gates at a perfect 4-0, but couldn't overcome the loss of senior starting quarterback Gabe Friend to an ACL injury as they ended up at 4-7.
Chris McDonald is in his third year as the team's head coach. In addition to installing the offense and defense on video for the players, he created a leadership council. A total of 16 of the older players are each in charge of five to eight teammates. This led to a culture of accountability as the kids took control of the team.
"It's hard to coach behind the computer screen," McDonald said. "We posted the week's workout each Sunday. The kids would take pictures after their workout and send them to the group leader."
The workouts were either body conditioning or working with weights depending on the accessibility of them to the player. The pictures were posted on the community board and could be used to motivate players as they saw the work their teammates were accomplishing.
Monday starts four weeks of summer strength and conditioning sessions. With the new guidelines for safety, players are split into either a morning session (7 am-10 am) or an afternoon group (4:30-6:30 pm) and will meet five days a week. From the start, workouts will be conducted in pods of 10 in each area to practice social distancing. There will be two stations in the weight room and four outside on the field.
When there's a break from the conditioning and lifting, McDonald will address the team about the social injustice issues and race relations concerns that we've all seen on the news over the past two weeks. Last week, the players finally got to clean out their lockers from last March and the coach reached out to some of them and let the players know he's there for them.
"That's something we do anyway," McDonald said of discussing the topics. "Treat Everybody with Respect is one of our core values. It can and should be a teachable moment."
McDonald also said one of the best things to do is not just talk about it, but model how it should be. When you are able to do that, the action of your character speaks louder than words.
Following the four weeks of summer conditioning, the Bears will have a week of camp. But it won't be the usual departure from town like last year's (in Flagstaff) was. Camp is scheduled from July 6-10 and will be on campus at BHS. When the team went away, phones were prohibited from making the trip, reducing distractions. Players were forced to get to know one another and be able to become relaxed with them.
"We're going to have to have different goals at this camp," McDonald said. "We'll keep them at Basha, but will have to get creative to build the team bond."
Looking at the offense, Friend threw 14 touchdown passes in those four victories. In the next seven games, Basha quarterbacks had just five TD passes and 11 interceptions. So, a big part of the summer will be a battle for the position with four to five in the mix, including an incoming freshman.
"We're going to be a young and inexperienced team out of the gate," McDonald said. "These kids have to learn how to compete."
A pair of senior two-way players will man spots at the skill positions. Andrell Barney will carry a large load. He caught 18 passes as a wide receiver and is being recruited in the secondary. Barney holds six Division I offers including Nevada and Hawaii.
"I think Andrell has an opportunity to be one of the better corners in the state," McDonald said. "He likes to compete and brings a lot of energy into practice and the games."
After being used sparingly in the first eight games, Caleb Jones saw more work late in the season. In the playoff game against Desert Vista, he had 23 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jones also plays linebacker and had 56 tackles.
"During the playoffs, we saw what he can do," McDonald said of Jones. "He's extremely strong and has a great work ethic."
A mix of youth will be served as well with two from the Class of '23.
James Durand started all 11 games on varsity at offensive tackle. The 6-4, 260-pound lineman already has an offer from New Mexico. His older brother, Jonathan, is currently playing for Yale. James shows the mental toughness and maturity required of starting on varsity so soon in his high school career.
"His potential is through the roof," McDonald said of Durand. "Some kids can play varsity as a freshman athletically, but it takes a different mindset."
Another sophomore came via transfer as Wyatt Milkovic made the move going a few miles southeast from Hamilton in January. He had 36 tackles and four sacks on varsity for the Huskies. The 6-1, 230-pounder is fast and can be used at running back as well. Milkovic also has an offer from New Mexico.
"He brings the same type of mentality as James and is extremely physical," McDonald said. "He brings some swag with him. He'll make kids better by how he plays the game of football. He's a no-nonsense guy in the weight room."
The new realignment brought about a change for the Bears. For the first time since 2010, Chandler and Hamilton won't be on the schedule. Basha leaves the Premier Region for Region 5. The new opponents there are Cesar Chavez, Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe, and Mountain View.
Perhaps being away from Chandler and Hamilton will be a good thing record-wise as the Bears were 1-11 against the Wolves (with the win in 2011) and 1-8 versus the Huskies (with the win in 2018). Basha will continue the Battle for Val Vista with Perry even though the teams don't share a region. The Pumas have won five straight in the series with Basha's last victory coming in 2015.
"I wish they would have thrown another Chandler District team in our region," McDonald said. To me, it made more sense to keep in a region with Perry."
In total, seven of the 10 teams on the Bears' schedule will be ones the team didn't face last year. Two of those will come from out-of-state competition, something that BHS hasn't done since 2013.
On Aug. 28, Basha will head up to Las Vegas to play Faith Lutheran. The Crusaders were 5-6 last season. The following Friday, Franklin HS in El Paso will head west to Chandler. The Cougars have a history of being a dominant team in their area. Last year, Franklin finished 8-3. In 2021, Basha is planning a return trip to face Franklin. It's been very rare for Arizona schools to face ones from Texas. However, if you look at a map, it's roughly 400 miles from the Valley to Los Angeles and the same 400 miles if you follow I-10 East to El Paso.
Other players to keep an eye on in the upcoming season are wide receivers Trent Pennington and Carson Bachmann along with safety Cayden Camacho and defensive end Ricky Halva. All four players will be seniors. Pennington recently received an offer from Hamline, a Division III school in Minnesota. Camacho led the Bears in tackles with 81 last year.
"I'm really impressed with how these kids work," McDonald said. "Don't be surprised if we have a couple freshmen playing on varsity."
