ABILENE, Texas (BCH Sports) – The 2023 season started out really rough for the Abilene High Eagles losing 9 of their 12 games, but they are getting things turned around and are right near the top of district 4-5A almost halfway through.

“At the beginning of the season we weren’t real close, but those first tournaments we really bonded as a team,” said Brady Bennett.

Jake Breckenridge added, “Towards the beginning of the season we knew that things were heading in the right direction, we just didn’t fully believe it.”

But things are different now and so is the teams attitude, through a familiar feeling we like to call confidence.

“We all just have a lot of confidence,” said Bennett.

“It’s defiantly confidence,” said Breckenridge

“We hit the field now with confidence and that wasn’t the case in those first couple of weeks because we were still trying to feel things out,” said head coach Brad Harman. “But now these guys believe in each other and it’s been pretty special to see the change in these guys.”

That level of confidence carried the Eagles to a 5-3 record in district play and a three-way tie for second place.

Coach Harman said, “You can’t give somebody confidence they’ve got to find it themselves. Everybody in our district is really good and we’ve been able to get on the field and compete with every single on of them and so it’s a confidence thing. And with each step along the way these guys are building that confidence and it’s paying off.”

With the success in the last month, the Eagles say the way they are playing changed the way they’re perceived by others.

“You walk around and people you don’t even know say they recognize you,” said Bennett. “And so it’s just kind of an honor knowing that people know we are now and we’re making a name for ourselves.”

“The more and more we got to know each other the better we reacted with each other and that helped us on the field. It gave us a lot of confidence together and I mean the better and better we do the more confidence we have,” said Beckham Paul.