Bayside Academy quarterback Davis Barnett doesn’t stand out in a crowded room. Unless several friends are nearby, he tends to keep to himself. That reserved personality disappears once he steps onto the football field, where the 6-foot-1, 150-pound rising junior is comfortable and confident.
Last season, as a sophomore, Barnett helped lead the Admirals to the Class 3A state championship game. This year, his goal is to help Bayside reach the state title game in Class A of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s private school classification, set for South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium on Wednesday, Dec. 2.
Bayside head coach Barrett Trotter, a former Auburn quarterback, said Barnett’s low-key personality away from the field belies the intensity he brings to the game. “He loves to compete, he loves to win, he loves playing football,” Trotter said. “He loves practicing football, so when you get him out on the football field, I think that’s kind of his natural habitat out here.”
Barnett comfortably took on the role of offensive leader last season as the Admirals scored a school-record 568 points across 15 games, an average of 37.8 points per game. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,462 yards and 45 touchdowns, carrying a 120.2 quarterback rating.
Bayside competes in Private Class A, Region 1, alongside Mobile Christian, St. Luke’s, Cottage Hill Christian and Bayshore Christian locally, as well as Northside Methodist and Providence Christian of Dothan. The Admirals open the season Friday, Aug. 28, at home against Jackson, with additional non-region games against St. Michael and Gulf Shores.