On Sept. 12, Barfield, then a member of Cary’s football team, was surprised when his mother, Marie Adams, didn’t attend Cary’s football game against Southeast Raleigh.

Soon, Barfield would be on his way to WakeMed hospital where he said goodbye to his 53-year-old mother — the victim of a fatal stroke.

With nowhere else to go, Berk and Barbara Wilson, parents of two of Barfield’s football teammates, invited him to move in with them.

Barfield was still reeling from the loss of his mother when he learned he had played most of the football season with a torn ACL, and would need surgery — surgery that could jeopardize his final go-round with the Cary track team.

However, Barfield beat the timetable and joined the team in the spring.

Gaining confidence with his throwing technique with every passing week, Barfield became good enough to win the Tri-Eight Conference championship in the event and later advance to state competition.

Barfield was pleased as he prepared to throw the discus one last time at the state high school championships on May 23 in Greensboro.

His goal going into the event was to qualify for the 16-man field. He already had done that and then some, climbing to second place, just before the last throw of his high school career.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound senior spun across the circle but was a little off balance as the discus left his hand. The throw was way right, probably headed beyond the boundary. He already had thrown one out of bounds to that side.

After an off-balance release, he watched as the discus curved as if angels were steering it back in bounds and his excitement grew as it continued to sail.

It landed 161 feet away — good enough for the state championship.

“God has blessed me so many ways,” Barfield said. “But on this day, He blessed me with that throw.”

With a year that few high school seniors can relate to behind him, Barfield was all smiles on a day where he certainly had something to be happy about.