WHITE SETTLEMENT — A disastrous first quarter put the Cooper football team in a 21-0 hole that it could never climb out of in a 37-14 loss to Fort Worth Brewer in a key District 3-5A Division I game Friday at Bear Stadium.

The Cougars, now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play, gave a game effort in the second half, outscoring the Bears 14-9 over the final two periods. But coach Aaron Roan’s squad was facing a 28-0 deficit by the time it went to the locker room for halftime, making a comeback unlikely against a talented Brewer squad (6-1, 4-0). 

Cooper pulled within two scores (30-14) early in the fourth quarter and appeared to recover a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff, but an offsides penalty wiped out that potential momentum shift, and the Bears scored on the resulting drive to put the game away and preserve their firm standing in the district title race.