It happened during Game 4 of Palma's 2013 season. The Chieftains were playing Palo Alto at Salinas' Rabobank Stadium and defensive tackle Eduardo Barbosa found himself on a collision course with all-everything quarterback Keller Chryst.
"They were sweeping around the right side and he came down the line and he was right in front of me," Barbosa said. "Something clicked in my head and I just exploded into him and drilled him into the air about five yards. It's kind of an amazing highlight and I show anyone I can."
Added the sturdy senior: "We were off to a rough start at 0-3 and he was one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. I could feel my heart about to burst after that play. The rest of the game was pretty much a party in the backfield for me. I had two fumble recoveries and hit their running back about three times for losses. But that one hit sort of sealed the deal. It got me even more excited."
If Barbosa sounds boastful or outspoken, he's not. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more down-to-Earth, nice kid. He just has a penchant for answering questions candidly and matter-of-factly.
As for the "Chryst-ening," it happened near the Palo Alto sideline and Barbosa (6-foot-1, 260 pounds) said even the Viking side reacted.
"I heard this 'ooohh!" from their side," he said. "I couldn't believe I hit him that hard. He's a big kid and when he would run he'd just knock over kids. I think he was like 6-4, 235. It was a good feeling. My teammate, Christian Aoelua got the most excited. He jumped up and smacked me in the helmet. It was one of the best feelings of my life."
Palma defeated Paly 23-20 that night -- the first of seven consecutive Chieftain victories before they had their season ended 28-0 by CCS Open Division runner-up Mitty. But Barbosa and the Chieftains are back this season, with Palma 2-0 after defeating Carmel 30-7 and St. Francis 21-12.
The Chieftains, in defeating those two foes, have now vanquished two of the three teams that stymied them last season as Palma stumbled to a 0-3 start.
Barbosa has been a big reason for this year's success.
"He was the defensive Player of the Year last season in the MBL-Gabilan," Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo said. "He's big, he's in great shape and he's a tough kid to block."
Barbosa wrestled at 220 pounds last season, shedding 40 pounds after football. Following the season he worked out diligently, replacing all that lost weight with muscle.
During the summer he attended the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo camp and was eager to test the new, retooled bod.
"I felt much better than I usually do," he said. "I was lighter and quicker off the ball."
That's not great news for Willow Glen this week which pays a visit to Rabobank to play the Chieftains. Not only is Barbosa a force, but the Chieftains get back Aoelua who missed the first two games due to injury.
Last week Palma held St. Francis' vaunted run game to 19 yards in the first half -- which begs the question how good would the Chieftains be if top defensive lineman Wesley Pezzini wasn't out this season with an injury?
But for now, Carnazzo is content with Barbosa leading the way. The big senior has only been playing football since his freshman year after doing track and field and playing basketball in his earlier years.
"I was the biggest kid in my class in seventh grade," he said. "I was about 5-10, 230. I played multiple positions in basketball."
Barbosa's brother Alex played football at Palma (he graduated in 2008) and now does the shot put and discus at Diablo Valley College in Concord. Alex went to DVC because his sister Vanessa lives in the area.
The current Palma star has two older brothers and two older sisters and agrees he was babied when he was younger and was not that aggressive when he started playing football as a freshman.
"I was shy and didn't know the game," Barbosa said. "My freshman year I didn't know what I was doing on the line most of the time and wasn't starting. Then I started to get the hang of it. By the third game a coach told me 'You're the starting nose guard.'"
He's been a fixture for the Chieftains ever since, following in the athletic footsteps of oldest brother Marco (a Chieftain wrestler) and Alex.
"I went to Palma because I'm a legacy," Barbosa said. My oldest brother Marco went there and my parents like the education and the good moral values it teaches and the good programs it has."
At the all-boys' Catholic school football power -- 11 section titles since 1989 -- Barbosa has learned to apply himself on and off the field, just as Chieftain alumni Chris Dalman (San Francisco 49ers) and David Fales (Chicago Bears) did. Dalman is now a Palma assistant coach.
According to Barbosa, there's no place he'd rather be, nothing he'd rather being doing -- not even working on his beloved 1986 red Ford F250 truck.
"I like everything about football -- the hard work and the mental toughness you need that also helps you in real life," he said. "I have a 2.6 GPA with some honors classes, but it's a competitive school. I give it everything I've got."
