The Cooper football team took every punch Wichita Falls Memorial had and counter-punched harder Friday, eventually landing the knockout blow in the second half of a 42-27 win at Shotwell Stadium.
The Cougars overcame a number of tough breaks throughout the game, using a punishing rushing attack and an opportunistic defensive effort to frustrate the favored Mavericks enough to pull away late in the District 2-5A Division II opener for both squads.
After going to halftime with the score tied at 21-all, Cooper outscored Memorial 21-6 over the final two quarters, finishing with 357 yards rushing and a 3-1 advantage in the turnover battle to improve to 3-2 on the season with its second consecutive victory.