WICHITA FALLS — Aaron Roan’s message to his Cooper football team after Friday night’s 24-7 loss against Wichita Falls Memorial was straightforward.

It’s still early in the 2-5A Division II race. And Roan still believes his Cougars are a good football team, better than their 1-4 record indicates.

The story of Cooper’s district opener at Memorial Stadium started and ended with missed opportunities. The Cougars drove into the red zone five times against the Mavericks, but they came away with only one touchdown.