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NFL prospect De’Anthony Thomas paves the way for his siblings

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De’Anthony Thomas (70127)
De’Anthony Thomas

Most of the sports world knows about De’Anthony Thomas, as the “Black Mamba” captured the nation’s attention with his blazing speed while playing for the University of Oregon. He is well known in Los Angeles for being a key member of Crenshaw High School’s back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. He is on his way to the NFL, and it looks like he is blazing a trail for his younger siblings.

Thomas’ parents, Howard and Gaylian Barnes, have reared a house full of boys, and their home could be called an athletic department. Their oldest son Davion played football at Culver City High School. They currently have two sons playing high school sports. Dammorea graduates this year from Crenshaw High School, where he played football and baseball.  Delon plays football at Fairfax, and he is a leader on the field.

Then there are the youngest two: Dakahrrie, nine, and De’Markus, six, also known as “Thunder and Lightning.”  Dakahrrie is Thunder, because he is a thick and powerful player. De’Markus is lightning, because like his older brother De’Anthony, he is the fastest player on the field.

Dakahrrie Barnes is “Thunder” as he dominates on the line in football and he excels in shot put in track, and De'Markus Barnes is “Lightning” because he has the same type of speed as his older brother De'Anthony Thomas.

Both Dakahrrie and De’Markus play football for the Crenshaw Colts and they both run for the Velocity Track Club.  De’Markus is a near carbon copy of De’Anthony, as it is nearly impossible to find a kid his age who can compete with him.  He started running with the track club at four-years-old, even though the youngest age group is six. Two years into his track career, mostly running against older kids, he still wins nearly every race with ease. It’s in his genes to be a blazer.

“When he was about two years old he started running like his older brothers,” Howard said.  “He would watch and imitate the kids working out. He took to it like a fish in water.”

Howard coaches the junior varsity team at Fairfax High School, and when De’Markus hits the field he looked nearly as fast as some of the high school athletes. That speed has been evident during track meets, and while on the football field.

“De’Markus has tremendous separation speed,” Howard said.  “A lot of times we tried to develop his abilities to run between the tackles and the guards, rather than just using that speed to get outside to turn the corner. A lot of teams do that with a faster back. We’re trying to teach him the right running style and not to be afraid to run right at that linebacker. It’s really creating a high degree of separation where as you can have a player who thinks he’s about to make that tackle, and you just see De’Markus change gears and he’s just gone.”

Dakahrrie is a different type of athlete.  He isn’t a burner, but more of a tough player.  In football he sees most of his action on the line, but he also plays running back, linebacker, and he can play quarterback. His game is built on power, but he has a lot of speed for a bigger type athlete, which also allows him to excel at track.

“Dakahrrie is a big man’s dream,” Howard said.  “He’s doing shot put, javelin, and he loves to run the 100.  He’s like an Craig ‘Ironhead’ Heyward.”

Having an older brother like De’Anthony, as well as other brothers who have either played high school sports or are still competing at that level, has been a great benefit to these boys.

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“It’s a great big brother/little brother relationship,” Howard said.  “De’Anthony and Davion take great time when they can, and they spend it with their younger siblings.  De’Anthony has taken a lot of time showing De’Markus and Dakahrrie his repertoire of how he got to where he is. It’s a blessing that he takes time to show them that it was hard work and diligence.  It wasn’t just his God-given talent.  He shows them the hard work and the ethic, the running style that they need to run faster. He shows them the mental fortitude that they need to have just to stay strong and know that they can win at any cost.”

The comparisons between De’Anthony and De’Markus have already started, but Howard slows those talks down.

“Some people do try to make a comparison between the two of them, but we as parents always stress that our children are individuals and that they have their own identities,” Howard said.

That is evident with their son Devante, who is a student at Crenshaw High School.  He did not show much interest in playing sports, but he is very business savvy for his age, as he helps Howard run his Grind Hard program, which is designed to develop a better skill set in athletes. The program works with children of all ages, who play multiple sports.  All of Howard’s boys have used this program to excel at athletics. With Devante by his side, Howard can deliver a great product to the athletes that he works with.

As great of an influence that Howard has been as a father, a mother’s touch is also of great importance.

“My wife has a strong backbone,” Howard said.  “She keeps us together really tight. She has a very tight ship for us to sail on.”

Howard’s family also gets support from his mother Hadiya Barnes and his mother-in-law Corrine Tarver.

The Barnes household is producing some great athletes, but more importantly, young men who will grow up to be assets to the community.

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