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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
Barbers Hill: chemistry, leadership produce wins
By Nathan Hague
The Baytown Sun Published October 8, 2009 MONT BELVIEU — Barbers Hill’s football team started the season 0-2. Now it’s 4-2. What did the Eagles do differently in the last four games?
“We’re not turning it over as much,” head coach Don Price said. “They were both close games (the losses), and a lot of it came down to field position. I think we’ve improved on that.”
Price said playing on the varsity is a new experience for many of the kids, but it’s coming easier as time goes along.
“A lot of these kids have never played on Friday nights before, “he said. “It’s something you can’t explain until you’ve done it.”
The team has also adjusted to some players switching positions, including quarterback Matthew Viverette, who, at the beginning of the year, was listed as a defensive back.
“When he was a sophomore, he played quarterback, but when he came along here as a junior, we had a returning quarterback. Still, we wanted him, as an athlete, on the football field. He rose to the top as a cornerback this year.”
Viverette says the switch hasn’t been too difficult but admits it did come a bit as a surprise.
“Coach came up to me and said to start warming up at quarterback,” he said. “I had no idea what to think. I love it, it’s completely fun.”
He also said his teammates have grown accustomed to the change and built strong chemistry and that’s something he said helped the team’s turnaround.
“ They’ve really grown to it (the quarterback change),“Viverette said. “I think you have to when things like that change. We’re really coming together as a whole.
“The first two games, it seemed like something was missing, but I think we really got ahold of it now. Small things make a big difference.”
One of those small things that Viverette said made a big difference is the pregame and halftime team prayer.
“I lead the team in prayer, then go into the Lord’s Prayer,” he said. “If I forget to do it, someone will remind me and I think that helps. For some reason, it’s a spiritual uplift. When we forget, it’s completely different.”
Six games into the season, Viverette already has 18 total touchdowns, 10 of them coming through the air and eight on the ground. He has thrown to seven different receivers for more than 1,000 yards and has run for almost 700.
Price says the team aspects of chemistry and leadership are easy to see, especially when multiple players are switching positions.
“We train on Mondays for both sides of the ball and have a total platoon workout,” he said. “We still have small numbers, and are still training the kids we have.”
The coach said he feels fortunate to have kids who are not only talented enough to switch positions, but also willing to do so.
“That’s one good thing,” he said. “They’ve all bought into the team. There is no ‘me’ or ‘I’ and the senior leadership is unselfish and very teachable.
“They do what helps the team.”
The Baytown Sun Published October 8, 2009 MONT BELVIEU — Barbers Hill’s football team started the season 0-2. Now it’s 4-2. What did the Eagles do differently in the last four games?
“We’re not turning it over as much,” head coach Don Price said. “They were both close games (the losses), and a lot of it came down to field position. I think we’ve improved on that.”
Price said playing on the varsity is a new experience for many of the kids, but it’s coming easier as time goes along.
“A lot of these kids have never played on Friday nights before, “he said. “It’s something you can’t explain until you’ve done it.”
The team has also adjusted to some players switching positions, including quarterback Matthew Viverette, who, at the beginning of the year, was listed as a defensive back.
“When he was a sophomore, he played quarterback, but when he came along here as a junior, we had a returning quarterback. Still, we wanted him, as an athlete, on the football field. He rose to the top as a cornerback this year.”
Viverette says the switch hasn’t been too difficult but admits it did come a bit as a surprise.
“Coach came up to me and said to start warming up at quarterback,” he said. “I had no idea what to think. I love it, it’s completely fun.”
He also said his teammates have grown accustomed to the change and built strong chemistry and that’s something he said helped the team’s turnaround.
“ They’ve really grown to it (the quarterback change),“Viverette said. “I think you have to when things like that change. We’re really coming together as a whole.
“The first two games, it seemed like something was missing, but I think we really got ahold of it now. Small things make a big difference.”
One of those small things that Viverette said made a big difference is the pregame and halftime team prayer.
“I lead the team in prayer, then go into the Lord’s Prayer,” he said. “If I forget to do it, someone will remind me and I think that helps. For some reason, it’s a spiritual uplift. When we forget, it’s completely different.”
Six games into the season, Viverette already has 18 total touchdowns, 10 of them coming through the air and eight on the ground. He has thrown to seven different receivers for more than 1,000 yards and has run for almost 700.
Price says the team aspects of chemistry and leadership are easy to see, especially when multiple players are switching positions.
“We train on Mondays for both sides of the ball and have a total platoon workout,” he said. “We still have small numbers, and are still training the kids we have.”
The coach said he feels fortunate to have kids who are not only talented enough to switch positions, but also willing to do so.
“That’s one good thing,” he said. “They’ve all bought into the team. There is no ‘me’ or ‘I’ and the senior leadership is unselfish and very teachable.
“They do what helps the team.”