Category: Cooper Cougars

by Daniel Youngblood

DISTRICT 2-5A DII WEEK 1 REPORT: Wylie, Cooper drop tight games as league goes 2-5 openers

Brownwood 13, Wylie 7 — Four empty red zone trips, including three inside the BHS 10-yard line, proved too much for the Bulldogs to overcome in a tough home loss to the Lions.

A pair of unsuccessful field goals, a fumble and a turnover on downs kept Wylie from capitalizing on a 301-250 yardage advantage, as the Bulldogs only points came on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jadin Karleskint to Dylan Regala with a 1:40 remaining in the game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Cooper drops 28-24 heartbreaker to Azle in Stewart’s first game as head coach

AZLE — Cooper never trailed until the final minute of its season opener at Azle on Friday, but Auston Morgan’s fourth touchdown pass of the evening — a 38-yard strike to Kaden Haas with 57 seconds remaining — left the Cougars on the wrong side of a 28-24 heartbreaker in Scott Stewart’s first game as head coach.

The Cougars outgained the Hornets 270-159, limiting Azle to minus-19 yards on the ground, but the home team found a way to rally from a 21-7 second-quarter deficit to pull even in the third period.

And after kicker Felipe Herrera gave Cooper a 24-21 lead with 9:56 to play in the fourth, the Hornets completed the comeback with less than a minute to play when Morgan found Haas for the winning score.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Quarterbacks

After a week of highlighting area playmakers, we wrap up our eight-part preseason position rankings series with the Big Country’s best signal callers.

To complete our look at the area’s top players, we’ve ranked our top 15 quarterbacks with a list of others to watch in 2026.

We hope you enjoy this list and that you’ve enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kick off a new season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Running Backs

As we wind down our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we arrive finally at the Big Country’s top ball-carriers.

After breaking down this year’s crop of receivers and tight ends earlier today, we move now to the area’s top backs, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch in 2026. Don’t forget to check in tomorrow when we conclude our series with the top 10 area quarterbacks.

We hope you enjoy this list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

We’re approaching the final stretch of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, and it’s time to look at the Big Country’s top receivers.

After starting the offensive portion of our series with the linemen, we now shift our attention to the playmakers on the perimeter, ranking our top 15 wideouts/tight ends with a list of others to watch in 2026.

We hope you enjoy our list and encourage you to check out the other position groups, which are linked below.   

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Offensive Linemen

With the defensive and special teams rankings behind us, it’s time to look at the area’s top offensive players. And we’ll start with the foundation of any productive offense: the offensive line.

For the fifth installment of our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we turn our attention to the trenches, ranking the Big Country’s top 15 offensive linemen with a list of others to watch in 2026.

We hope you enjoy reading through our rankings.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Kickers/Punters

After recognizing the top defensive players throughout the Big Country over the past three days, it’s time to honor the specialists.

We continue our eight-part preseason position rankings series by naming our top 10 kickers and top three punters to watch this fall.

We hope you enjoy this list and that you have enjoyed our position rankings as we get set to kickoff the 2026 season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Backs

After starting with the linemen and linebackers, we turn to the defensive backfield to complete our look at the top defenders in the Big Country.

For the third installment in our eight-part preseason position rankings series, we shift our focus to the secondary, giving our list of the area’s top 15 defensive backs and others to look out for in 2026.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Linebackers

After taking a look at the Big Country’s top defensive linemen last night, it’s now time to examine those who will backing them in 2026.

Continuing with Big Country Preps’ eight-part preseason position rankings series, here’s our top 15 linebackers to watch this fall, as well as a list of the others we’re expecting big things from.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen

With the start of football season around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the players who will be making the biggest impact in 2026.

For the first installment in an eight-part series that will cover all position groups, we’ll be taking a look at the area’s top defensive linemen, ranking our top 15 with a list of others to watch this fall.

As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through them.

Continue reading “Big Country Preps Preseason Football Position Rankings: Defensive Linemen” →

by Daniel Youngblood

2026 DISTRICT PREDICTIONS: Evan and Daniel make their picks

The time has arrived for us to make our Big Country predictions, district-by-district.

Several weeks of research and two solid months of summertime labor have gone into this, so we’re more than ready to post it. 

With that please dive in and study our take on the upcoming season, along with the more than 80 preseason stories we posted earlier today. Enjoy! We’ll see you on the road!

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by Daniel Youngblood

COOPER FEATURE: Cooper OLB Dunson a workhorse during week so he can show out on Friday nights

At 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, Jamarion Dunson won’t be the biggest linebacker on any field he takes, but there’s high likelihood that the Cooper senior will be one of, if not the best prepared.

And as a direct result, there’s also a good chance he’ll be one of the most productive.

A true student of the game who loves practice and lives in the film room, Dunson reads and reacts with an efficiency that allows him to play even faster than he is. And due in large part to the preparation he puts in to be ready for Friday nights, he’s grown into a natural leader for the Cougars through his play, words and example.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2026 COOPER FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Cooper aims to continue playoff streak in Stewart’s first year as head coach

The Scott Stewart era is set to begin at Cooper, and the longtime Cougars assistant feels this year’s team is both ready and equipped to continue a run of success that has seen the program produce 19 consecutive playoff seasons.

With 26 lettermen returning, including five offensive and six defensive starters, and call-ups from a 9-1 junior varsity team filling any gaps created by graduated losses, the CHS staff feels good about the nucleus it’s building from this fall.

That, combined with a smooth transition from former coach Aaron Roan, who resigned in May to become the associate athletic director for Abilene ISD, to Stewart — Roan’s longtime defensive coordinator — has both the coaches and players excited about their chances of contending in District 2-5A Division II and beyond in 2026.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: First-Team Roster

Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2026 All-Big Country Preps Baseball Team: Second-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

2026 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team: The top sophomores and freshmen in the area

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.

For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: First-team Roster

Here are our first-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball Team: Second-team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Here are our second-team selections for the 2026 All-Big Country Preps softball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

2026 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Softball Team: The top sophomores and freshmen in the area

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2026 All-Big Country Preps Softball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.

For the rest of this year’s softball selections, please click the links below.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

UPDATED: Abilene ISD promotes Roan to assistant athletic director

Abilene ISD has named Cooper football coach Aaron Roan as the district’s new assistant athletic director as he will replace the retiring Lou Mora as Jim Garfield’s right-hand man.

Roan has spent the past eight seasons leading the Cougars program, compiling a 52-40 record in making the playoffs each season. His deepest playoff run came in 2019, when he led the Cougars to the third round of the playoffs. Cooper won six playoff games under Roan.

Roan said he’s excited about the challenge that lays ahead and that a move to athletics administration has been something that he’s considered for some time.

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by Daniel Youngblood

REGION I-5A TRACK MEET: Abilene High’s Jackson, Wylie boys 800 meter relay earn bronze to top local efforts

LUBBOCK — The Wylie 800-meter relay team of Adrian Jurado, Max Thornton, Jett Wilson and Liam Chapman and Abilene High sprinter Jaden Jackson both earned bronze medals Saturday at the Region I-5A meet to top the list of performances by local qualifiers at Lowrey Field.

Behind its relay effort, the WHS boys finished with 12 team points, while AHS earned seven and Cooper finished with two.

On the girls side, meanwhile, Wylie scored two team points and Cooper earned one.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Colley’s gem helps Abilene High clinch share of first district title since 2015

The Abilene High baseball team locked up a share of its first district championship in more than a decade on Friday, shutting out Cooper 7-0 at Cougar Field to finish the District 4-5A season in a first-place tie with Wylie.

Led by junior starter Gavin Colley, who struck out 11 on his way to a two-hit shutout, the Eagles (21-9-1 overall) improved to 9-3 in league play to match Wylie (20-5-1, 9-3), which rallied for a 5-2 win over Wichita Falls Legacy on Friday to clinch its share of the district title.

In support of Colley,  who worked around a pair of walks and three errors to keep Cooper off the board, AHS scored one run in each of the first two innings before breaking the game open with a four-run third. That early production allowed the Eagles to coast to the season sweep of the Cougars, who fell to 11-20-1 overall and 3-9 in league play with the loss.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson’s perfect game fuels Abilene High to 5-0 Senior Night win over Cooper

During a junior season that might best be described as “otherworldly,” Abilene High ace George Ferguson has flirted with perfection on several occasions.

On Tuesday, against crosstown rival Cooper, the 6-foot-4 flamethrower finally achieved it.

Pitching in front of a packed Senior Night crowd at Blackburn Field, Ferguson retired all 21 batters he faced to lead the Eagles to a 5-0 win over the Cougars. The University of Texas commit needed just 82 pitches to complete his first career perfect game, notching 16 strikeouts in the process.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Walker, Garrett shine as Wylie offense explodes for 11-1 run-rule win over Cooper

Needing a win over Cooper and an Abilene High loss to Wichita Falls Memorial to move back into position to control its own destiny in the District 4-5A championship race, the Wylie baseball team got both Friday.

The Bulldogs did their part with an 11-1 home win over the Cougars, while Memorial rallied past AHS for a 7-5 win on the other side of town to create a logjam atop the league standings, where Wylie (18-5-1, 7-3), Abilene High (19-9-1, 7-3) and Memorial (15-14, 8-4) all remain in contention for the district title.

The rule-rule victory — and the offensive explosion that helped facilitate it — were both welcome sights for Wylie coach Grant Martin, whose team was coming off a 2-0 win over Cooper on Tuesday and had averaged just four runs per game over its last five contests. And with Friday’s results, the Bulldogs can now clinch at least a share of the district championship with a sweep of last-place Wichita Falls Legacy in its final district series next week.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

DISTRICT 4-5A BASEBALL: Fletcher, McCarty combine for shutout as Wylie takes thriller over Cooper; Ferguson dominant in AHS win

While the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams will be headed to the postseason in different playoff brackets, there was still a lot on the line for both sides when they met at Cougar Field on Tuesday in a key District 4-5A matchup.

Cooper entered the Southtown Showdown trailing Abilene High by three games in the standings in the race for the top seed in the Division I bracket with four games to play — including a pair with the Eagles next week. The Cougars entered the game knowing that they would probably have to go 4-0 over the next two weeks against their crosstown foes to improve their playoff positioning.

Wylie, on the other hand, trailed Wichita Falls Memorial by one game for the top seed in the Division II bracket — with the Mavericks holding the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking two of three district contests from the Bulldogs. Wylie was in better shape, knowing that Memorial closes out its regular season this week against AHS and the Bulldogs would potentially be in control of their own seeding destiny with a win on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2026 Gym Rat Team: The hardest-working players in the Big Country!

Scoring and rebounding is only part of the story when it comes to basketball. Behind the scenes and beyond the view of the public, is where character is often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Gym Rat Team that we salute the individuals who exude the most of it. 

This team isn’t about who the best players are, though some of the area’s top players are on this list. 

The Gym Rat team is about effort, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches love above all else and that championship foundations are built upon.

It is for that reason that our Gym Rat team is selected entirely by area coaches, described in their own words. And Big Country Preps is absolutely honored to present these individuals to you — the best “team players” (boys and girls) that the area had to offer during the 2025-26 season.

Players are listed in no particular order. 

Enjoy.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

DISTRICT 4-5A BASEBALL: Wylie falls to Wichita Falls Memorial, Cooper clinches postseason berth

All it took was a 90-second stretch for things to unravel for the Wylie baseball team at home against Wichita Falls Memorial in a crucial District 4-5A matchup on Friday night.

With Carter Hoffman facing a 2-2 count with two outs in the top of the seventh of a 4-4 game, the Memorial senior appeared to swing at an offering from Wylie pitcher Gehrig Fletcher — an effort that had Fletcher walking off the mound and Memorial coach Rob Johnson walking down the third base path towards his own dugout.

In a wild turn of events, Hoffman was ruled to have not offered at the pitch, with an appeal of the checked swing being unheralded to extend the frame. Two pitches later, Hoffman hit an inside-the-park home run when Wylie center fielder Blaze Ruffin appeared to lose his footing while trying to stop a hard charge at cutting the ball off, and the three-pitch sequence allowed the Mavericks to escape with a 5-4 win on Friday night.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cooper strikes first, but Abilene High storms back for Crosstown Showdown win

Following last Thursday’s 11-4 come-from-behind victory over Wichita Falls Memorial, Abilene High softball coach Jenna Aguirre talked about how being in a routine helps her squad.

Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown at the CHS softball field helped the Lady Eagles find that routine again as they completed a season sweep of Cooper with a 7-1 win.

It was the first time AHS had played a Tuesday game in two weeks, and the win moved Abilene High to 6-0 this year on Tuesday nights. The Lady Eagles also improved to 18-9-1 overall and 6-0 in District 4-5A play with two games left in the regular season.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Patient offensive approach leads Wylie to run-rule victory over Cooper

The end result might have been the same, but the journey to get there was anything but when the Wylie and Cooper softball teams started the second half of District 4-5A play Thursday night at Bulldog Field.

The Lady Cougars were without normal shortstop Abbey Alvarado and with six players playing different defensive positions than they did two weeks earlier against the Lady Bulldogs, they committed seven errors while Wylie’s offense pounded out 12 hits in a 13-2 win.

Thursday’s win gave the Lady Bulldogs a season sweep of the Southtown Showdown after taking the first game 5-2 at Cooper on St. Patrick’s Day.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Loud outs not enough as Cooper falls to Wichita Falls Memorial

Cooper baseball coach Brandon Stover thought his squad made a lot of great contact on Friday night at Cougar Field in a District 4-5A matchup with Wichita Falls Memorial.

He even though it was better contact than what the Mavericks managed off starting pitcher Johnathon Rico and a trio of relievers.

But it was the Mavericks who took the rubber match of the three-game season series, 11-2, as a patient offensive approach led to nine walks — six of which came in a decisive six-run sixth inning.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Reynolds is the hands-down winner

In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel. 

Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto. 

In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades. 

Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson dominant again as Abilene High shuts out rival Cooper 7-0

George Ferguson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before “settling” for a two-hit shutout Friday to lead the Abilene High baseball team team to a 7-0 win over crosstown rival Cooper in a District 4-5A matchup at Cougar Field.

The standout right-hander tallied 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk, pitching around leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh innings to help the Eagles (13-5-1) wrap up the first of three trips through the league play at 4-0.

Behind its hard-throwing starter, AHS took control of the game early, following a one-run second inning with a two-run third to put the Cougars in a hole they had little hope of climbing out of against one of the top junior pitchers in the nation.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fast start, strong pitching lift Wylie to district-opening win over rival Cooper

The Wylie softball team kicked off District 4-5A play with an impressive victory Tuesday, riding a fast start at the plate and a strong pitching effort from Avie Faries and Shae McAllister to a 5-2 win over crosstown rival Cooper at the Cougar Field.

The Lady Bulldogs followed a two-run first inning with another run in the second to take a 3-0 lead, and that was all the run support necessary for their two pitchers, who combined to limit the Lady Cougars to four hits and trio of walks in the win.

Faries started and tossed four shutout innings to earn the winning decision before giving way to McAllister, who allowed two runs (one earned) in a three-inning save. Tuesday’s outcome improved Wylie (13-10 overall) to 1-0 in league play, creating an early tie atop the 4-5A standings with Abilene High (13-9-1, 1-0), which defeated Wichita Falls Memorial 7-2 in Tuesday’s other league game.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie uses late offensive outburst to pull away from Cooper, tying Coogs for second in district

Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning at Bulldog Field on Tuesday night, the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams were locked in a 2-2 game that had seen a combined one hit to that point — a first-inning RBI double by Wylie’s Myles McCarty.

That’s when the Wylie offense came to life and propelled the Bulldogs to a 10-2 win as McCarty finished a home run shy of the cycle and drove in five runs while Hudson Tuley added three RBIs.

The win moved the Bulldogs into a tie with Cooper at 2-1 in District 4-5A play, a game behind Abilene High after the Eagles beat Wichita Falls Memorial 5-1 in Tuesday’s other league matchup.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF WEEK: Jayton’s Stanaland takes this week’s spotlight

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week earned the accolade on the state’s biggest stage. 

Jayton senior guard Sean Stanaland was a big contributor in several areas for the Jaybirds in a surprisingly easy 78-45 win over Kennard in the Class 1A Division II state title game. This began with the 28 points he scored to help JHS to its third straight championship.

He also pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals as Jayton capped its season with a victory in San Antonio’s Alamodome.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: And yet another Gaylor takes our weekly accolade

A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing. 

And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well. 

This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday. 

Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP. 

And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman. 

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