"Kenny (brother) had a chance to go to college but he stopped going. I want to be the first in my family to go and finish." - Gaffney wide receiver Terry Barnes O n the team's roster, Terry Barnes is listed at 5'8". And in reality, none of the glam wide receivers in the region will play a bigger role in his team's success than Barnes.

His sure hands and precise route-running make him of the best wide receivers in the area.

"I just run good routes," Barnes said. "I always think I'm better than the person in front of me."

Befittingly, Barnes' professional role model is the Carolina Panthers' Steve Smith, a smallish wide receiver who is one of the most explosive offensive forces in the NFL.

"He's a small receiver but he's one of the best," Barnes said.

Barnes' potential as a football player pretty much remained under wraps until late last season. He had 29 catches last season but saved his best performance for the Indians' biggest game - the Big 16 state championship game.

He had five catches in Columbia, but three of them came in crunch time on the Indians' game-winning drive.

His biggest catch was a do-or-die fourth-andseven slant route deep inside Summerville territory.

"It was on a slant route," Barnes said. "I really wasn't thinking about it too much. I knew I had to make up for the Spartanburg game when they called the same play and I slipped down on the play. I just said to myself that I needed to make this play."

A play after Barnes' big catch, the Indians scored the game-winning touchdown.

Barnes has picked up where he left off last year with seven catches for 90 yards and three touchdowns in the Indians' thrilling 38-35 win over Greenville last week.

His first touchdown was a momentum changer. It appeared the Red Raiders would take a one-point lead into halftime but a turnover gave the Indians possession at the Greenville 20 with just seconds left in the second quarter. Barnes hauled in a 10-yard scoring strike with just :04 left before the break to put the Indians up 19-13.

He wasn't done. He caught a 20-yard TD on a fade route midway through the third quarter to increase the Indians' advantage to 25-13. He then caught his third TD pass on another fade route.

Barnes said the confidence he gained from the state championship game has carried over to this season.

"When I'm about to get nervous before a game I just think there isn't any reason to be nervous because I played in the state championship game," he said.

Barnes was introduced to the sport by his brother Kenny, who is also his inspiration.

"Kenny had a chance to go to college but he stopped going," Barnes said. "I want to be the first in my family to go and finish."

He also has a more immediate goal. "I also want to go back to the state championship game," he said.