Category: Cooper Cougars

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper tops Abilene High 52-36 on Senior Night, clinches No. 2 playoff seed

Abilene High traveled to Cougar Gym on Tuesday needing a win in its District 4-5A finale to keep its playoff hopes alive. Cooper needed a victory to clinch the league’s No. 2 playoff seed.

In the end, the Cougars were just too much for the Eagles in a 52-36 Senior Night victory.

CHS, which capped the regular season at 18-12 overall and 8-4 in district play, raced out to a 14-7 lead after a quarter and outscored AHS in each of the following three periods to close out the regular season with an impressive crosstown win.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Cooper boys win thriller at Coronado; Lady Coogs see season end

Photos by Dayton Wood, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — Trailing 50-48 with 12.8 seconds remaining, the Cooper boys basketball team put the game in Jaelyn Rivera’s hands. And as he has done so many times before, the standout forward came through for the Cougars.

The senior took a pass just beyond the midcourt line with time winding down, dribbled to the 3-point line, shook two defenders and drained the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds remaining to lift Cooper to a dramatic 51-50 road win.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eula’s Gray tops 1,500-point mark, claims this week’s award.

Eula’s Clayton Gray, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 4, earned the accolade on two fronts. Not only did he post big numbers in consecutive wins over Moran and Rising Star, but he also reached an impressive milestone in the process. 

To begin with, the junior guard chalked up 29 points, six boards and four blocks in a win over Moran. He also tallied 43 points, eight boards and four steals in a win over Rising Star.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Six Cooper athletes celebrate college decisions during weather-postponed ceremony

Six Cooper athletes made their college commitments public Monday during a Signing Day ceremony at Cougar Gym that was rescheduled from last week due to the winter storm that whipped through Abilene and most of the state.

Surrounded by family, friends, teammates and coaches, five CHS football players — quarterback/athlete Chris Warren, receivers Malik Jackson, D’Andre Ralston and Cam Herron and defensive back Michael Ramis — joined girls basketball standout Karrigan Parrott in announcing the universities for which they will continue their athletic careers collegiately.

Warren and Ralston are both headed to Hardin-Simmons, while Ramis will also stay local and compete at McMurry. Herron will join that trio in the Division III ranks at Trinity in San Antonio, while Ramis will play NAIA football for Arizona Christian University. 

Parrott, the lone girls athlete to participate in Monday’s ceremony after fellow basketball player Kyla Speights (Texas Wesleyan) and volleyballer Skyla Stark (Hill College) announced commitments earlier, will head east to compete at the next level for DIII Texas-Dallas in Richardson.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper girls ride near perfect first half to crucial Senior Day win over Lubbock High

Facing off with Lubbock High in a game they needed to win to maintain any hope of reaching the playoffs, the Cooper Lady Cougars put forth their best effort of the year Saturday afternoon at Cougar Gym.

Playing with the sense of urgency one might expect in a must-win game, coach Brandon Hudson’s squad scored 45 first-half points and stretched 21-point halftime lead to 30 in the third quarter before closing out a 67-48 Senior Day victory.

The win improved Cooper to 20-13 overall and 4-7 in District 4-5A play, pulling the Lady Cougars within a game of LHS (21-13, 5-6) with one game remaining on the district schedule. That sets up another must-win Tuesday at Lubbock Coronado, and potentially another after that should the fourth-place Lady Westerners fall as expected to top-ranked Lubbock Monterey.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Senior glue guy Falade an unsung hero for Cooper boys basketball team

Sharing the court with one of the area’s best forwards in Jaelyn Rivera and a pair of talented guards in Kam Gray and Jordan Willis, Cooper senior Maxwell Falade knows he’s a role player. 

But in watching the Cougars play, you realize pretty quickly just how important that role is.

While Falade’s name may not jump off the stat sheet the way some of his teammates’ do, his energy and effort on both ends of the court are critical to his team’s success. And if you ask coach Bryan Conover what makes him such a special person and valuable player, you had better be ready for a lengthy response.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Benjamin’s Rigdon on an unbelievable scoring pace

He entered last week as the leading scorer in the entire Big Country, putting up more than 37 points per game. So few will be surprised to hear that Benamin’s Grayson Ridgon has put up yet another performance worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. 

Yet last week’s numbers were big, even by his standards. 

Helping the Mustangs to consecutive routs of Harrold (100-36) and Crowell (93-53), the sophomore guard poured in 50 and 51 points respectively and even found time to snag a head-turning 20 rebounds in the Crowell win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys win wild one at Cooper; fast start fuels Lady Cougars past Lady Bulldogs

About a second passed between the time Kam Gray’s game-tying 3-point attempt first banged off the rim and when it finally came back down to the basket. But it felt like much longer for those in attendance — and especially those on each bench. 

With his team trailing crosstown rival Wylie by three points and just over seven seconds remaining, the Cooper guard raced down the court and launched a shot from just in front of the CHS coaching staff. The high-arcing heave, which was on target but a little long, bounced high off the rim and came down over the cylinder, but after clanging off both sides of the rim it fell harmlessly to the floor, preserving a 62-59 win for the visiting Bulldogs.

The closing sequence was fitting end for a wild game that almost saw Cooper erase an eight-point deficit in the final 48.6 seconds.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys stay hot with win at Abilene High; Lady Eagles rally for first district victory

Riding a three-game winning streak into its first matchup with rival Abilene High, the Cooper boys basketball team stayed hot Friday night, closing out the first half of District 4-5A play with a 50-41 win in front of a packed house at Eagle Gym.

The victory, which improved the Cougars to 14-8 overall and 5-1 in league play, kept CHS just a game back of district leader Lubbock Monterey (18-8, 6-0) and completed an exciting night of basketball that saw Abilene High edge the Lady Coogs 51-50 in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader.

Leading just 32-31 at the end of three quarters, coach Bryan Conover’s squad pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Eagles 18-10 over the final eight minutes to close out the win and set up a big home matchup with Wylie on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco’s Landenberger captures this week’s award

A limited number of minutes, if the numbers compute correctly, can figure strongly in our selection of Player of the Week. 

That is the case with this week’s winner, Gavin Landenberger of Cisco, who opened the week with 29 points, five boards, three assists, and five steals in a win over Haskell last Tuesday.

However, what sealed the deal for the senior guard, was a 20-point, four-rebound, five-assist and five-steal game he charted in a win over Hamlin — numbers he posted in only 18 minutes of playing time.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys outlast Lubbock Coronado for big district victory

Last week, while hosting Lubbock Monterey in a big District 4-5A matchup, the Cooper boys basketball team couldn’t execute well enough down the stretch to escape a tough home loss. Facing similar circumstances seven days later against Lubbock Coronado, the Cougars found a way.

Coach Bryan Conover’s squad rallied from a 42-39 fourth-quarter deficit Friday at Cougar Gym, going on a 4-0 run over the final 43 seconds to hand the Mustangs a 49-46 loss. 

The thrilling victory pulled Cooper even with Coronado in the district standings at 3-1 — a half-game behind district leader Monterey, which was idle Friday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Monterey scores final six points to outlast Cooper boys in defensive struggle

On a night when buckets were hard to come by for both teams, the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen finished with one more than their Cooper counterparts Friday, scoring the final six points in a hard-fought 40-37 win at Cougar Gym.

Cooper, which needed almost four minutes to score to its first points of the game, held a 22-18 lead at halftime and rallied from a third-quarter deficit to go up 37-34 on a Jordan Willis layup with 3:47 to play. But those would be the Cougars’ final points of the night, allowing the visiting Plainsmen to close the night on a run and escape with a three-point victory.

After a turnover spoiled CHS’ penultimate possession, the Coogs had one final chance when Monterey missed the front end of a one-and-one up 40-37 with just over four seconds remaining in the game. But Jaelyn Rivera’s halfcourt shot at the buzzer banged off the rim and out, eliciting an gasp from those in attendance. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys outlast Wylie to earn 44-39 win in defensive slugfest

It wasn’t the prettiest game the Cooper boys basketball team will play all year, but the result was just what the Cougars were looking for in their District 4-5A opener against crosstown rival Wylie.

After taking a 13-11 lead into halftime and going into the fourth quarter tied at 25, CHS outscored the Bulldogs 19-14 over the final eight minutes Tuesday to escape Bulldog Gym with a 44-39 victory in a game that even coach Bryan Conover as a “rock fight.”

But the win sends the Coogs into the holiday break at 8-6 overall and 1-0 in district play, which made the ugly win seem a little prettier after the fact.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Speights’ big fourth quarter fuels Cooper past rival Wylie

Trailing crosstown rival Wylie 33-32 heading into the final quarter, the Cooper girls basketball team needed a spark to get to the finish line with a win Tuesday at Bulldog Gym.

Enter standout senior Kyla Speights.

After being limited to just six points through the first three quarters, the talented point guard exploded for 13 points in the fourth — including two big 3-pointers and a three-point play in rapid succession — to fuel the Lady Cougars to 52-41 victory.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High closes Catclaw Classic at 1-2; Wylie, Cooper drop tight ones

The Catclaw Classic has seen the three local schools struggle with a combined six losses in seven games, but it hasn’t been as bleak as it sounds.

Cooper has continued its strong performance of late, starting off with a pair of losses by a combined three points to Midland Christian and Fort Worth Chisholm Trail, while host Wylie suffered a big loss on Thursday before falling by just three on Friday.

Abilene High has had the most success in the tournament so far with one win in its three games, a 41-36 victory over Midland Christian on Friday night. The Eagles lost games to Chisholm Trail and Canyon earlier in the event.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Amarillo High pulls away late to claim Cane’s Key City Classic title

After North Crowley’s Eric Moore hit a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter and tie Amarillo High in the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic championship game, it seemed as though the Panthers had all the momentum.

The game stayed close throughout the fourth quarter, but the Sandies pulled away over the final 1:23 to take a 59-48 win and claim the tournament title Saturday afternoon at Abilene High’s Eagle Gym.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Scrappy Cougars rally but fall short in season-ending loss to Grapevine

FORT WORTH — The Cooper football team rallied from a 17-0 first-quarter deficit and 24-7 halftime hole to pull within three points in the fourth quarter of Friday’s Region I-5A Division II area-round matchup with Grapevine. But that was as close as the Cougars could get in a season-ending 38-21 loss to the Mustangs at Crowley ISD Stadium.

Hurt by five turnovers, CHS still managed to pull within 24-21 on Daniel Bray’s 16-yard touchdown run with 7:19 remaining in the game. And the Coogs had an opportunity to take a lead on their next possession. But they couldn’t finish that drive, and Grapevine closed with two late touchdowns to pull away.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cisco girls open Pug Parris Classic with win over Cooper

Kyla Speights gave the Cooper girls basketball team a 3-0 lead early against Cisco as both teams began the Pug Parris Classic at Cougar Gym on Thursday night, but the Lady Loboes rebounded quickly on their way to a 52-34 win.

Braley Brunson and Brooklyn Hurtado led Cisco with 16 and 11 points, respectively, while Speights’ 14 points led the Lady Cougars.

Having scrimmaged each other already, both coaches knew what they would get from the other squad.

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by Evan Ren

CLASS 4A/5A BI-DISTRICT REPORT: Big Country teams combine to go 6-1 in strong opening-round showing

REGION I-4A DIV. I

Big Spring 38, El Paso Riverside 35 — The Steers pulled out and absolute thriller over the District 1-4A DI champion Rangers, scoring the winning points on a wild fourth-and-10 play with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Quarterback Gavin Padron, who passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns, evaded multiple sack attempts with some creative scrambling in the backfield before heaving it up running Kavien Ford in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown hookup. That ended a back-and-forth that saw three lead changes in the final 15 minutes.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME REPORT: Warren, Cooper carve up El Paso Andress to advance to area round

EL PASO — The Cooper football team passed its first playoff test with flying colors, dominating El Paso Andress from start to finish in a 49-20 bi-district win at Allan Sepkowitz Stadium.

The Cougars outgained the Eagles 525-300, expanding a 21-6 lead to 35-13 by halftime and cruising from there to the lopsided win and into the Region I-5A Division II area round, where they will take on Grapevine (10-1) next week a time, date and location to be determined.

Quarterback Chris Warren had a big day throwing the ball for the Coogs, hitting 15 of 23 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns, including a 99-yard scoring strike to Daniel Bray, who finished with 204 total yards and three combined touchdowns in the victory.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After highlighting the Big Country’s top guards and forwards the past two nights, we now take a look at the area’s best big men.

For the final installment in our three-part boys basketball position rankings series, we rank the Big Country’s top 10 post players.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through our rankings, and make sure to check back for all our boys and girls basketball coverage this season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Versatile Cooper receiver Herron a dynamic playmaker for Coogs

Cooper senior Cam Herron is a unique weapon. 

While listed as a receiver on the Cougars roster, the 5-foot-7 speedster is utilized in a number of ways and positions by the CHS staff. In fact, he’s scored 11 touchdowns in four different ways this season — highlighting just how electric he can be the with ball in his hands.

With the regular season in the rearview, and a bi-district playoff matchup at El Paso Andress slated for 4 p.m. Thursday, Cooper will be trying to extend its season one more week when it takes the field at Allan Sepkowitz Stadium. And you can bet Herron will be a major part of the Coogs’ offensive game plan when they do.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With boys basketball season beginning this week, it’s time to shine a spotlight on some of the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2022-23 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions on the area boys basketball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this winter.

We hope you enjoy reading through our list.

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