Barnes Sticks to It

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

It’s amazing how much has changed in such a short time for Preston Barnes.

In a span of three years he has gone from never having picked up a stick to competing at the highly-competitive World Series Youth Lacrosse tournament in Denver, Colorado.

The event, which took place over the summer, featured elite youth lacrosse programs from the USA and Israel through qualifying tournaments held in each region of the country. Former Pacific Palisades Honorary Mayor Jake Steinfeld founded the World Series of Youth Lacrosse in an effort to showcase elite youth and spread the sport’s popularity both nationally and globally.

An eighth-grader at Calvary Christian School, Barnes began his athletic endeavors playing Itty-Bitty Baseball and soccer at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA and  playing in the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association (making the All-Star team his last five years).

At Calvary Christian, Barnes has been chosen MVP in football and basketball by his coaches every year he has played since fifth grade. Last summer, a San Diego-based lacrosse program called Mad Dog came to Los Angeles to find a handful of elite players in its quest to win the World Series. Barnes and four other youth athletes from Santa Monica and Brentwood were picked to join the Mad Dog West Select team.

After success in fall, winter and spring tournaments, the team qualified as the No. 1 Seed in the West Division, beating programs from Denver, Northern California and Dallas. Mad Dog won the Denver and Vail tournaments days before the WSYL event.

Barnes captained the squad to opening-day wins, then scored an end-to-end goal to force overtime against Bethesda–a game Mad Dog won on its way to the semifinals and third out of 24 teams.

“Preston played every game like it was for the championship,”  Mad Dog Executive Director Tom Duerr said. “His skill, focus and determination hugely contributed to the success of our 2021 team. We’re grateful for Jake’s efforts in creating such a first-class event.”

Barnes lives in the Highlands and plans to attend Palisades High or Loyola next year.