When most Dos Pueblos High School students hear the name Micah Barnhart (12), they think of the leading receiver of the varsity football team and Chapman University commit. However, behind his titles, there is a story of hard work, dedication, and passion that has brought Barnhart to where he is today.

“I started playing flag football in Oxnard at seven years old, and then I started playing tackle football in eighth grade for the Santa Barbara Sharks,” Barnhart said. “My favorite thing about football is the people I have gotten to meet through it. I have made a lot of lifelong friends.”

Barnhart’s love for football was sparked by his childhood hero, Calvin Johnson, the former Detroit Lions receiver and first-ballot Hall of Famer nicknamed “Megatron.”

“Megatron is why I started playing receiver,” Barnhart said. “I loved watching him, especially in double coverage—that iconic picture of him in double coverage still cracks me up.”

While Barnhart said Johnson inspired him to become a receiver, it is Barnhart’s “personal determination” that has pushed him to become the football player he is today.

“In season, it gets busy,” Barnhart said. “We either have a meeting or a lift, and then we go straight from that into a practice, which usually lasts two and a half hours to three hours, so it’s a pretty long day.”

Outside of practice hours, Barnhart spends additional time preparing for football games.

“I do extra film study at night as well,” Barnhart said. “I also talk to Coach Bailey, my position coach on the side, he points things out to me, like who our opponent is for that week.”

Barnhart’s dedication to the sport all paid off last month, when he committed to continuing his football ventures at Chapman University.

“What really drove me to choose Chapman was the film school aspect,” Barnhart said. “I really want to get into the film program. I’m applying for public relations and marketing entertainment at Chapman. Also, I get to continue doing what I enjoy doing, which is playing football.”

Barnhart shared he feels as if he has “unfinished business” on the football field at DPHS, especially after last year’s nail-biting 27-23 loss to Mary Star High School in the California Interscholastic Federation Quarterfinals.

“My goal as a team is to make it back to CIF, because I feel like last year left such a chip on our shoulder,” Barnhart said. “Especially the way we lost on the kickoff was just so upsetting.”

Aside from the team’s goal, Barnhart said there is another goal he has his eyes on this season.

“As it stands today, I’m so close to second all-time in receiving yards, and I really want to be second all-time,” Barnhart said. “I think I’m third all-time in catches right now, which I’m just trying to get as high as I can, because I feel like leaving a mark school record-wise is a pretty cool individual goal for me to have.”

While school records and playoff berths are important to Barnhart, rivalry games bring a “different kind of energy” to him, and there is one game in particular he has his mind set on.

“With this being my last year, I feel like my fire to beat San Marcos High School has never been bigger, because I feel like the last two years, I’ve just seen all the seniors cry after we just repeatedly lose to our rivals,” Barnhart said. “It’s a hard experience knowing that I’m in their shoes now, but I also have a chance to flip the script.”

Despite the losses against SMHS in recent years, Barnhart said he still has confidence in DPHS beating their cross-town rivals.

“I think if we’re going to beat them any year, this is the year to do it,” Barnhart said. ”I believe wholeheartedly that we are going to beat them.”

Regardless of whether or not he can lead DPHS back to the playoffs or beat SMHS on Oct. 30, Barnhart said the impact he makes on others is more important.

“My proudest accomplishment in high school definitely hasn’t been the awards,” Barnhart said. “It’s just being able to give my two cents to people, giving my advice, and just being able to be the reason someone smiles.”