Coaching Changes — Barbers Hill

Barbers Hill has found a replacement for Head Coach and Athletic Director Don Price, who resigned last November 18th. Coach Price led the Eagles to a 99-35 record during his 12 years. He was the 2nd winningest coach in school history but the jump from 3A to 4A in 2006 was tough on them.

His teams had a record of 80-13 while in 3A or below from 1999-2005 but they were 24-17 since moving up to 4A...14-16 over last 3 years. This includes a 5-6 record last season and a fourth-place finish in District 19-4A, which ended with a bi-district loss.

Price had five perfect regular seasons during his time in Mont Belvieu, including 2006 which was their first year in 4A. His teams won six district championships and made the playoffs 9 of his 11 years. (Missed 2007 & 2008)

Coach Price was an assistant coach at Troup, Hawkins and Joshua and was head coach at Maypearl for 2 years before coming to Barbers Hill in 1992. He was the defensive coordinator from 1992-1993 beforing taking over as head coach. His overall record as high school head coach is 105-48-1.

His resignation was brought on by the school board which was unhappy with the state of the Eagle athletic program. They had created a position for him as assistant to the district's assistant superintendent of planning and operations at his current salary of $98,800 per year. He agreed to the $153,000 buy out though of the final 18 months remaining on his contract as coach and athletic director.

To replace Price, Barbers Hill hired a recent inductee in the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor. Ronnie Gage who led Lewisville High School to Class 5A state championships in 1993 and 1996 has taken over the job. He was Athletic Director for Lewisville ISD from 2003-2006 and re-entered coaching at Austin College after that. Austin College which is a non-scholarship NCAA Division III program in Sherman, Texas went 13-17 over the last 3 seasons with Gage leading the way.

Coach Gage spent 12 years as an assistant at Lewisville High School before his first head coaching job at Justin Northwest High School from 1987-90. He finished with a 20-16 4 year record at Justin Northwest. The big story though is that he took over team that went 1-18 in the 2 years before he arrived. His 1st season he went 0-9-1 before turning it around and went 20-7 over the next 3 years. He was then head coach at Lewisville for 12 seasons where he went 119-46-3. Gage then took over the AD job of a school district that now includes five high schools.

Barbers Hill won the 1A state championships in 1971 and 1976, but has not advanced past the area round of the playoffs since 1999.