When Barbe takes the field on Sept. 3 at LaGrange’s John J. Mims Stadium, it will have been nearly two years since the Bucs have played a varsity game.

But the Bucs are more than ready to return to the gridiron after last playing on Nov. 15, 2019. Hurricanes Laura and Delta wiped out the Bucs’ 2020 season.

“The kids have been working hard, and they are excited to play,” Barbe head coach Mike Cutrera said. “We are just fired up to be able to play.

“It has been a long time coming. They have been putting in the work, so hopefully, we will be ready. I think just getting on the field this year with all the things these kids have been through is going to be a success. Hopefully, we can stay healthy, and everything else works out off the field with everything that is going on. They are just excited to be out there, which is nice and refreshing. It is good to see their faces when they get to go out on the field and play.”

The Bucs lack game experience with just a handful of seniors that saw playing time as sophomores in 2019.

“We are going to be very young and very green,” Cutrera said. “We will have a lot of juniors and seniors that don’t have any playing experience.

“With our district, we are going to have to grow up fast.”

But one starter saw plenty of action last season and will be a beacon for the rest of the team. Tylan Ceasar ran for more than 1,000 yards and helped lead Kinder to the Class 2A finals before returning to Barbe. He ran for 537 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.

“That is going to be huge,” Cutrera said. “He did play in a state championship last year.

“That helps out tremendously. Hopefully, he will be able to relay those experiences to the rest of the team. We are looking for him to be the leader and carry the load for us in the running game.”

Quarterback Will McClain will have plenty of receivers to throw to in Jamaal Levi, who played in 2019, Kenny Galla, Reed Boyd and Travis Antoine.

“He (McClain) is progressing very well,” Cutrera said. “He is cool, calm and collected.

“He throws the ball well, and he does a good job of running our offense. He is a leader out there.”

Cutrera said the Bucs’ success rests on the offensive and defensive lines. They have a mix of seniors and juniors up front in offensive linemen Drew Mitten, Blake Materne, Dillon Payne, Eric Marras and Kamden Broussard and defensive linemen Javan Thomas, Jason Legre and Kaden Broussard.

“On both sides of the football, it is going to depend on how well our lines hold up,” Cutrera said. “With them not having plenty of experience, it is going to be a challenge.

“Those kids are working hard. If the offensive and defensive line develop, that will give us a chance.”

The rest of the Bucs’ defense will be a mix of seniors and juniors in linebackers John Henry Richard (Jr.) and Cory Sonnier (Sr.), safeties Wade Roberts (Sr.), Khaled Chloun (Sr.), Luke Saxby (Sr.), Kandyn Cordova (Jr.) and Dylan Fletcher (Sr.) and cornerbacks Gabe Sarver (Sr.) and Cole Laughlin (Sr.).

“They (defense) are young and aggressive,” Cutrera said. “They can run pretty good, and they like the physical part of the game, and that helps tremendously. It starts up front. If those guys can progress, they will help the linebackers and the secondary.”

The Bucs also return kicker Collin Medlin, who made 39 of 50 extra points for Kinder last season.

Cutrera is placing high hopes on his senior class.

“They have not been able to play in two years, and this is their final year,” Cutrera said. “They are really taking it to heart and really working hard to make it a successful season.”