Saving His Best for Last

Loyola Captain Preston Barnes Ends High School Career with Lacrosse Crown

Palisadian Preston Barnes  has  spent his life playing sports and winning. Having graduated Cum Laude from Loyola High, where he was captain of the varsity lacrosse team, Barnes led the Cubs to the 2021 CIF-SS Division I Championship, defeating rival Foothill High 9-7 on June 8 in Tustin. Barnes is an Under Armour All-American and as a sophomore was the 2019 Varsity Team MVP of the Mission League and LA Champion Cubs. Covid halted the 2020 season but Loyola bounced back in 2021 to go 20-1 and was undefeated in league play. Barnes earned First Team All-League honors  as well as his team’s Top Defenseman Award. Barnes played three sports while at Calvary Christian School (basketball, flag football, volleyball), as well as YMCA Iddy-Biddy basketball and soccer. He was a catcher, pitcher and shortstop in the PPBA, was a four-year All-Star and won championships in the Pinto, Mustang and Bronco Divisions. In 2009, he won the 50- and 100-meter dashes as a 6-year-old at the annual YMCA Optimist Youth Track Meet. He played many years for National Select Club Lacrosse teams Mad Dog and West Coast Starz. Barnes will attend the University of Alabama on an academic scholarship in the fall. He lives in the Highlands with his parents Annie and Kevin, and his brother Parker, who attends the University of Georgia. In this recent interview with Palisadian-Post Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo, he talks about his lacrosse accomplishments at Loyola, his life in Pacific Palisades and his future:

PP: When did you first start playing lacrosse and what got you interested in the sport?

PB: I started playing lacrosse in 2014 when a PPBA friend, Brody Listen, suggested I try it. He knew I was a competitive person and thought I’d like the contact and speed of the game. My first lacrosse team was the Santa Monica Dragons and I was hooked on the sport ever since. My first lacrosse coach was Erik Krum, who is the current coach at Harvard-Westlake High and ironically we have faced his team many times in the Mission League during my high school years at Loyola.

PP: Why did you decide on Alabama? Did Parker being at Georgia influence your decision?

PB: My mom is from Louisiana and an avid LSU fan and I was raised with Southern values: family, faith, food and football. She always told me that the SEC was the best and both Parker and I wanted a big rah, rah school with good academics and athletics. Although Alabama has been a rival of LSU for years, I’ve been sporting Alabama gear since I was 10 years old. When I visited Tuscaloosa for a game, I fell in love with the college town and the campus. With Parker being in the South at the University of Georgia, it was just a natural fit for me and my family to be in the south for my college years. My parents supported my decision, but they also encouraged me to earn an academic scholarship because she didn’t want to support Nick Saban. Thankfully, I was accepted to the Honors College and earned an academic scholarship.

PP: How competitive were you and your brother growing up? Did you ever play together on the same team?

PB: Parker and I were super competitive growing up as we’re only 14 months apart. We played on the same baseball teams every other year based on our age and we even won a PPBA Bronco title together. It was fun to play with him and he always pushed me to be the best because he was older than me.

PB: What effect did COVID have on your practice? What did you learn through it?

PB: Our Loyola lacrosse season was canceled my junior year, but we had Zoom workouts and team meetings throughout the year. It was actually a nice break from waking up at 5 a.m. and driving to Loyola for 6 a.m. practices. I was able to focus on my academics and by the time my senior year came around we were eager to hit the field as a team. Since it was my last year of playing lacrosse I took my role serious as one of the senior captains and was so proud that we ended the season as the undefeated Mission League champions, as well as the first historical CIF-SS Division 1 champions. We battled through the brackets, overcoming tough teams from Los Angeles and Orange County. It was the icing on the cake for my lacrosse career. We wanted that championship ring…  our “Pinky Bling.”

PP: Who are your fellow Palisadians on Loyola’s team? Did you play other sports with them?

PB: Palisadian brothers Jack (a junior) and Thomas (a freshmen) Wynperle played on the Loyola lacrosse team with me, as well as Matteo Silvestri. As a defenseman, myself, Jack and Jack Shoemaker (a junior and Brentwood resident) were considered the D-Wall. We all had a blast on the field together. Jack Shoemaker and I were awarded the Co-Top Defensemen this spring. We all really played well together. The team just clicked and had one goal in mind: to win the championship. Matteo (a junior)  played varsity attack this year and was an integral part of our champion season. He’s going to be a beast next year. Loyola is locked and loaded for next season.

PP: What do you like about lacrosse? What is the most challenging aspect of your position?

PB: I love the pace and speed of the game, the strategic adjustments you make depending on your opponent’s style of play  and I enjoy the contact aspect of lacrosse. There’s nothing better than being part of a team that works hard with the same goal in mind. We’re brothers on and off the field.

PP: Why did you pick Loyola instead of another private school or Palisades High?

PB: I originally thought that I would attend Pali High, and actually went to Pali for two weeks prior to Loyola commencing its school year. I just really missed my friends from Calvary Christian School and the religious aspect incorporated into education.

PP: What game will you remember most in your high school lacrosse career and why?

PB: The championship victory against Foothill was certainly a highlight of my high school career. They were a tough, highly-ranked, and well-coached team. We battled to win it all as a team. Although we’ve played many games and have had much success the thing I’ll miss the most is the time spent with my teammates on and off the field. We’re Cubs for life and have experiences and memories that will remain with me forever.

PP: Who do you look up to most? What coach has had the biggest influence on you?

PB: All of my coaches, in every sport, have had an impact on my life. I’ve learned life lessons from every one of them and nothing can take away the discipline, responsibility and accountability that team sports provide. It’ll serve me well going forward in college and life in general.

PP: What is the best part of living in the Palisades? Where do like to go around town?

PB: Well, I absolutely love my hometown and will look forward to coming back and seeing my friends during holidays and summertime. The weather here certainly beats the South and I’ll always be close to my childhood friends. We love hanging out at all the new restaurants in the Palisades Village, the beach clubs and have good memories of meeting at Garden Café.

PP: Have you ever run in the Palisades Will Rogers race and/or the Turkey Trot?

PB: Yes, my dad, Parker and I ran the 5K for years. My dad actually pushed Parker and I in a double-jogger stroller a few times when we were babies and toddlers. We didn’t break any records or win any championships, but we always cherished the Fourth of July traditions in the Palisades.

PP: Did you ever capture the PPBA World Series? If so, what do remember?

PB: Yes, I won championships in every division….Pinto, Mustang and Bronco (on the Tigers with my brother Parker). We hit home runs to almost the exact same spot and combined to drive in six runs in the deciding game. The PPBA brought me some of my best memories growing up in the Palisades.

PP: Did you win any league championships at Calvary Christian? When did you start there?

PB: Yes, we won basketball and flag football championships. Coach [Tharen] Todd was an influential coach in my life and we won a flag football championship. Coach Vince Downey was also an important coach in my athletic career. I started playing at Calvary in fifth grade and I was MVP each year played, but my athletic career actually started at 2 years 9 months—the age that the YMCA would allow kids to start playing Iddy-Biddy Basketball on the Little Tykes basketball hoops.

PP: What are your hobbies outside of sports? What is the best vacation you ever took?

PB: I enjoy hanging out with my friends, doing community service with the orphanage in Mexico, teaching inner-city kids the game of lacrosse and tutoring the underserved students. Doing good feels good. I also love wake-surfing and snow skiing. My best family vacation was an African safari. It was wild being in the wild!

PP: What are you looking forward to most about college at an SEC school?

PB: I’m looking forward to living in the South especially, meeting new people from all over the country, joining a fraternity and attending College Game Days. My major is Business Administration and I’m looking forward to attending new and innovative classes that the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business has to offer.