Sixteen-year-old junior, Treyton Barnett, one of Perryville High School's best players in recent history — and after scoring all four goals for the Pirates against the DeSoto Dragons last week — the main reason why the Pirates are once again conference champs, is the son of Rocky and Amanda Barnett. He’ll be turning 17 in December.
A center forward who is flexible enough to play left or right forward if the situation demands it, said he became interested in sports at an early age.
“Actually, at a very young age when, at first, my sister started playing sports when she was young, and I was basically just sidelined watching her,” he said. “That’s when I figured out I wanted to play sports, so my parents let me play soccer and some other sports.”
By his freshman year at PHS, Barnett was already a part of the Pirates’ soccer team, who was showing a lot of promise of the outstanding player he would turn out to be.
Asked why he enjoys playing soccer at the school, he said, “Honestly, I just like the atmosphere and like my teammates,” he said. “I’m having a fun time and then I’m also a really competitive person, so I like to win.”
Barnett doesn’t play any other sports in school, choosing instead to focus on his favorite sport. One of his biggest fans is coach Jerry Fulton, who took over as head coach of the team this fall after years of coaching the girls’ team has kept the team moving forward by, according to Barnett, providing “leadership and just helping us all understand and focus on the next game.”
He believes that another reason for the team’s success is the support the players give each other.
“We just keep a positive mindset and keep each other accountable,” he said. “We just keep positive vibes and not try to yell at each other or make anybody feel like they’ve done the worst thing possible. We just keep our heads up and then talk things through. Then the next day, we just forget about it and go on to the next practice or next game.”
As far as what he does to continue improving as a player, Barnett said, “I just focus on training, trying my hardest, taking care of my body, eating the right things and drinking the right things.”
After he graduates from high school in the spring of 2026, Barnett said, “I would like to go to college for soccer and also go for sports medicine. If possible, I’d like to go pro, but if I can’t make pro, I’d still like to be involved with sports. So, I feel like sports medicine would be a good thing for me. This year at high school I’m taking the human anatomy class and I’m really liking it.”
Barnett has a message for any students entering their high school years who are contemplating whether or not to play sports, he said, “If you're not a fan of sports, just try it out one year and see if you like it. If you like it, keep going. We always have a summer soccer camp a month before the school season actually starts, and that is a good chance to go out and show the coaches what you have. Honestly, just meet the new players and try to get along with them.”
As the team looks forward to playing for the district title, Barnett said, “Winning conference feels amazing. My three years that I’ve played so far, we’ve won all of them. It still feels amazing every time.”
