Lufkin ISD on Thursday announced the hiring of former Barbers Hill head coach Carl Abseck to the position of athletic director/head football coach at Lufkin High School. Abseck replaces Todd Quick who announced his retirement on December 4 after leading Lufkin for thirteen seasons.

Abseck comes to the Piney Woods with a strong track record as he holds a career record of 102-27 in ten seasons as a head coach, he led Cedar Park to a state title in his first season as a head coach in 2015 and then led the Timberwolves back to the state title game in 2020. He posted at least eleven wins in five of his six seasons at Cedar Park.

In early 2021, Abseck moved over to Barbers Hill where he’s served as the Eagles AD/HFC for the past four seasons, where’s he posted a 31-17 overall record and led BHHS to the area playoffs in four straight seasons.

Coach Abseck spent sixteen seasons at Cedar Park as an assistant coach where he was a part of the Timberwolves staff that won a state title in 2012 and fell in the state title game in 2015. Abseck’s first coaching job was at Wichita Falls High School where he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach eventually working his way up to offensive coordinator.

“Obviously having played Lufkin last year I had a level of familiarity, we know what Lufkin has when it comes to talent and football is an important part of the town and it is important to the kids. Getting to be an athletic director really matters, I’ve really enjoyed doing that job the past four years. There’s a lot of things going on in Lufkin that made me want to be a part of things. There’s just so much tradition and history and Lufkin is a place where if things line up you are able compete for a state championship,” said Abseck.

On January 7 it was announced Abseck and Barbers Hill ISD had a “mutual parting of ways,” thus putting Abseck back on the market.  Abseck takes over a Lufkin squad that won 9-5A Division I a year ago and spent a good chunk of the season in the state rankings finishing with a 10-2 record. Lufkin loses a strong senior class but they have plenty of tradition and a good amount of young talent on hand.

“I want to win and be successful, the expectations of championships are something we will embrace and we won’t run from it. My goal is to raise the bar Coach Quick and his staff set in Lufkin. The administration has high expectations, they were laid out in the interview, the committee did a great job asking important questions and I felt really comfortable going through that process," said Abseck who expects to start on Monday February 3. 

There’s no doubt that the Week 5 matchup when Lufkin visits Barbers Hill in district play will be one to watch as Abseck will bring his new team into his old stomping grounds for a game that could in theory have district title implications.