GAME STORY: No. 8 Cooper can’t complete rally, suffers first loss to Amarillo High

AMARILLO — A 21-point hole proved too large to climb out of Friday as the No. 8 Cooper Cougars suffered their first loss of the season, a 49-35 setback to Amarillo High in a winner-take-all matchup for the District 2-5A Division I title at Dick Bivins Stadium.

Missed opportunities early in each half allowed the Sandies to take a pair of three-score leads, and the inability to stop AHS on third downs throughout the contest kept the Coogs from ever getting closer to the lead than seven points in the second half.

The loss dropped coach Aaron Roan’s squad to 9-1 on the year and 5-1 in league play, pushing Cooper into 2-5A DI’s No. 2 seed in the playoffs.