Former Bradwell Institute football player Isaiah Barnes is getting ready to take his game to the next level.
Barnes, a senior, was still mingling with his Tiger teammates during spring training last week, but he said he plans on hitting the weight room hard during the summer. And for good reason.
“Reinhardt University offered me a scholarship, and I signed my letter of intent last week,” said Barnes, the Mike Reed Chevrolet/Coastal Courier Player of the Year for the Tigers.
Former Tiger coach Adam Carter is the assistant defensive coordinator at Reinhardt, which is in Waleska.
Barnes played in 19 games in his high-school career and tallied 168 total tackles, including nine for loss. He had eight sacks for 28 yards lost, caused and recovered two fumbles. Offensively, Barnes rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Tiger head coach Greg Hill said seeing Barnes graduate and head on to bigger things is somewhat bittersweet.
“He has played a lot of games here at Bradwell. Unfortunately, I only had him for one season, but the leadership and work ethic he brought to this team and to this program speaks volumes,” the coach said, noting he had no doubt Barnes would take the player-of-the-year honor. “And outside of football, he is a great individual and is great in the classroom. Those are the things you look for in a student athlete. … We are going to miss his leadership and tenacity for the game of football.”
Barnes said he was thrilled to receive the award.
“It makes me feel like they could see what I did, and that I came out here to win,” he said.