Barbers Hill is a team on the brink of greatness heading into the 2019 season. Having gone 7-4 last season with a close loss to Nederland (21-27) and a respectable showing against district champion Port Neches-Groves (14-31) the Eagles will be a team on the march.
Returning 32 lettermen and 11 starters, head coach Tom Westerberg could have his best team yet.
"We've got a great group of receivers," said Westerberg, entering his fourth season at Barbers Hill.
"Our offensive line is bigger than we've ever had. Our quarterback will be Conner Dunham, who had a great game against Manvel in the playoffs, so we're excited about our offense."
Dunham threw for 388 yards against a high respected Manvel team but the Mavericks won the game with a 62-42 win.
The Eagle defense will be much improved with six starters returning led by senior DB Branden Hefferman (4 INTs) and leading tackler LB Cavin Branin.
"We're going to have to step it up defensively," said Westerberg.
"Last year we struggled getting our best athletes on the field with injuries. We're looking forward to having our players ready to roll."
With a third place finish in 2018, Barbers Hill will be legitimate contenders for the District 12-5A crown, challenging Nederland and Port Neches-Groves for the top spot.
"Thats what we're striving for," said Westerberg.
"The higher you finish in district the better chance you have in playoffs. We're right there, our kids know we're right there, we just have to believe in each other. We're excited to get the season started."
The Eagles will have to earn the crown as they play both Nederland (10/04) and PNG (11/01) on the road this coming season.
The last district championship for Barbers Hill was 2011 when the Eagles went 9-2 under head coach Ronnie Gage.
