Category: Cooper Cougars

by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Abilene High routs Legacy 11-0; Cooper falls at home to Memorial

The Abilene High and Cooper baseball teams were on opposite ends of a shutout Tuesday, as the Eagles routed Wichita Falls Legacy 11-0 on the road and the Cougars suffered a 9-0 home loss to Wichita Falls Memorial.

Connel Colley pitched a five-inning one-hitter to lead AHS, which improved to 12-5-1 overall and 4-1 in league play to take a half-game lead over Wylie (12-3-1, 3-1) in the District 4-5A standings.

Cooper, meanwhile, saw Jeron Flores outdueled by Brady Pope in a battle of left-handed standouts to fall to 12-5 on the season and 2-3 in 4-5A action.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: AHS, Cooper both win to maintain spots atop District 4-5A standings

The Abilene High and Cooper softball teams both picked up lopsided victories in District 4-5A action Tuesday, as the Lady Eagles cruised to an 8-0 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy and the Lady Cougars rolled to an 11-4 triumph at Wichita Falls Memorial.

Junior pitcher Avah Reyes tallied nine strikeouts in three perfect innings to eclipse the 300 career strikeout milestone for AHS, while Maddie Fry earned a complete-game win for Cooper. Both pitchers got plenty of run support, as the Lady Eagles outhit Legacy 10-2 and the Lady Coogs used a couple of big innings to post their second double-digit scoring output in three league games.

With Tuesday’s result, Abilene High (11-7) improved to 3-0 in 4-5A play, maintaining a one-game edge on Cooper (12-9, 2-1), which moved a half-game ahead of idle Wylie (13-6, 1-1) for second place.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde hurler takes this week’s award

Clyde softball has been overdue for landing a Big Country Preps Player of the Week award and senior pitcher Kaycee Bingham has just ended the drought. 

The Lady Bulldogs have been posting big numbers on a weekly basis, falling just short of the top spot. But Bingham has landed the spotlight with a 26-0 mercy rule perfect game win over San Angelo Grape Creek last week. She followed that with a three-hit 11-0 shutout of Merkel. 

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde hurler takes this week’s award” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Reyes dominates in the circle as AHS holds on for thrilling win over Cooper

Abilene High junior Avah Reyes had 15 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as the Lady Eagles claimed a 4-3 win over Cooper in District 4-5A play on Saturday afternoon.

Cooper rallied in the seventh inning behind two AHS errors and had the tying run in scoring position when Reyes struck out Sabrina Lopez-Calhoon swinging to end the game.

The showdown was the first time that AHS coach Jenna Aguirre faced off against Cooper coach Kaegan Jimenez. The two were best friends in high school, making the win bittersweet for the fourth-year AHS coach.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson outduels Henderson in battle of aces, AHS grinds out 4-1 win over Cooper

With Abilene High’s George Ferguson and Cooper’s Brady Henderson both coming off no-hitters in their most recent trips to the mound, Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown was expected to be a low-scoring pitcher’s duel with a limited margin for error.

As it turned out, Friday’s matchup between the Eagles and Cougars for a share of the District 4-5A lead was exactly that.

Ferguson outdueled Henderson in a 4-1 Eagles win at Blackburn Field that saw AHS score two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a game that was shaping up to be a classic to that point. The victory narrowed a three-way tie atop the 4-5A standings to two teams, as Abilene High kept pace with Wylie following the Bulldogs’ 13-3 home win over Wichita Falls Legacy in Friday’s other league game.

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 20)

20Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 20.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Evan Ren

Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 20)

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 20:

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Seven-run fifth inning lifts Cooper to district-opening win over Wylie

After watching her team complete a rigorous nondistrict schedule with a 10-8 record, first-year Cooper softball coach Kaegan Jimenez felt her Lady Cougars were ready for the start of District 4-5A play.

On Tuesday, they proved as much, using a seven-run fifth inning to turn a 5-2 deficit after four frames into an 11-8 road win over crosstown rival and regional stalwart Wylie.

With the victory, CHS — which posted a combined district record of 7-27 from 2022 to 2024 — is now tied atop the 4-5A standings with Abilene High, which routed Wichita Falls Memorial 13-0 in the league’s other opener Tuesday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Cooper outlasts Wylie in 3-2 thriller; Abilene High downs WF Memorial 4-2

Tuesday was a banner night for Abilene ISD baseball squads, as both Abilene High and Cooper picked up big District 4-5A wins to move into an early tie with crosstown rival Wylie for the league lead.

The Eagles rode a gritty start from Connel Colley and some timely offense to a 4-2 road win over Wichita Falls Memorial, while the Cougars rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth against Wylie to make a 3-2 winner out of left-hander Jeron Flores at home.

The night’s results created a three-team logjam atop the 4-5A standings, where AHS (10-4-1), Cooper (12-3) and Wylie (11-3-1) are all 2-1, while Memorial (9-6 overall) sits just a half-game behind at 2-2.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Gordon’s Stryker Reed earns this week’s accolade

At the Class 1A level, where it is common for athletes to participate in multiple sports at the same time due to a lack of numbers, individuals who excel in different disciplines are invaluable. 

At Gordon, junior multi-sport star Stryker Reed falls into this category, and our Big Country Preps Player of the Week is now demonstrating it on the heels of an amazing effort. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Henderson no-hits WF Legacy as Coogs roll to 20-0 victory

Brady Henderson had nine strikeouts while allowing just one walk in a no-hitter as Cooper beat Wichita Falls Legacy 20-0 on Saturday afternoon in blustery conditions at Cougar Field.

It marked the second time this week that the Leopards were no-hit, following Abilene High’s George Ferguson achieving the feat on Tuesday afternoon.

Cooper coach Brandon Stover was pleased with how Henderson attacked the zone with his 64 pitches — 44 of which went for strikes — as well as the Cougars’ defensive effort behind him.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Eula’s Hailie Cauthen earns this week’s spotlight

Fresh off a successful basketball season, Eula’s Hailie Cauthen has transitioned to softball as though she were in mid-season form. 

In fact, the senior shortstop was good enough through five games last week to take our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the Week ending March 8. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Abilene High, Cooper close AISD Invitational with wins

The annual AISD Invitational came to a cold, windy and wet end on Saturday as Cooper finished an undefeated tournament with a 9-2 win over Burleson, while Abilene High beat Copperas Cove 10-6.

Cooper finished the tournament at 5-0 while AHS went 4-1.

Meanwhile, a highly anticipated game between Brock and Wylie was canceled on account of the weather.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Area squads have monster second day at AISD Invitational

Five teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area picked up a pair of wins on Friday on the second day of the AISD Invitational.

Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie all had relatively stress-free days, while Brownwood and Brock combined for four wins.

Wall, which struggled at times during its tournament action, closed out its play in the event with a big win over San Angelo Central.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Local schools go 5-1 on opening day of AISD Invitational

Cooper and Wylie swept their opponents as the AISD Invitational got under way on Thursday at three different locations across town, while Abilene High split a pair of games with Brock and Wall.

The Cougars knocked off San Angelo Lake View and Brownwood, while the Bulldogs were able to dispatch Andrews and San Angelo Central in their two games. The Eagles fell to Brock in their tournament opener before rebounding with a resounding win over Wall.

Teams in the Big Country Preps coverage area went a combined 8-4 on Thursday with Brock joining the two Abilene schools with an undefeated day.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stephenville’s Gentry lands the top spot

While Stephenville’s Tristian Gentry is no stranger to this column, it’s usually via football that he lands in our Top 10 — especially after missing track last year due to injury.

Well, it’s track season again and it just so happens that the SHS senior is healthy this time around — returning as one of the area’s top guns in that sport. He’s already off to a great start, having captured four gold medals at a talent-loaded Brock meet last week.

Aside from first place leaps in the long jump (21-1) and triple jump (43-2), he also helped SHS’ 400 and 800 relay teams take gold with splits of 43.26 and 1:30.1, respectively. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Munday freshman captures this week’s top spot

Munday’s Caisen Lee isn’t the first freshman to whom we’ve given our Big Country Preps Player of the Week Award. But during the basketball playoffs, it is indeed a rare occurrence. 

Nonetheless, Lee takes our top spot with a pair of top notch efforts in playoff wins over Aspermont (77-48) and Westbrook (48-36).

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 13. 

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Feb. 13): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 13. 

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys pull away from Cooper for 62-23 win in District 4-5A finale

For a quarter and a half, the Cooper boys basketball team gave rival Abilene High a run for its money in the District 4-5A finale for both squads Tuesday at Cougar Gym.

But leading just 14-13 with 4:08 remaining in the second quarter, the Eagles closed the first half on a 9-2 run to ignite a spark that would never burn out in a dominating 62-23 win. 

The lopsided victory, which saw Abilene High (20-12 overall) close league play at 5-3, spoiled Senior Day for the Cougars, who closed out a tough campaign at 8-18 overall and 0-8 in district.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys take care of business in Senior Night win over rival Cooper

The Wylie boys basketball team closed out its home schedule with a thorough victory Friday, pulling away for a 58-42 win over crosstown rival Cooper on Senior Night.

Leading 11-8 after one quarter, the Bulldogs outscored the Cougars 13-3 in the second quarter to take a 24-11 lead into halftime and answered every Cooper run from there to improve 5-2 in District 4-5A play.

The victory, which moved WHS to 16-11 overall, kept the Bulldogs’ district title hopes intact heading into Tuesday’s regular-season finale at Wichita Falls Legacy (18-8, 6-1).

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Cooper receiver Alexander, softballers Fry and Ruiz make commitments official

Coming off a huge senior season as a rare two-way player for Cooper, Zavian Alexander announced Wednesday afternoon that he’ll be taking his talents to Central Texas for the next stage of his football journey.

Joined by CHS softballers Maddie Fry (Hardin-Simmons University) and Emma Ruiz (Nelson University) at a Signing Day ceremony at Cougar Gym, Alexander made his college decision official by confirming his commitment to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Alexander’s pledge to the Division III national power in Belton comes after putting up the second-most productive season ever by a Cooper receiver on his way to earning first-team all-District 2-5A Division II and second-team All-Big Country Preps recognition.

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by Evan Ren

SIGNING DAY 2025: Top area athletes sign on the dotted line

National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level. 

At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 30.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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hoops
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 30): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 30.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Lady Eagles lone local school to post a win on Tuesday

With the regular season quickly drawing to a close, the Abilene High and Cooper basketball teams had critical District 4-5A games against Wichita Falls Legacy and Wichita Falls Memorial, respectively, on Tuesday night.

The Cougars were in desperate need of a win in both games for playoff purposes and came up short, with the Lady Cougars 46-31 loss officially eliminating them from playoff contention. The Cooper boys, meanwhile, found themselves leading at halftime against the Mavericks before falling 43-37. The loss leaves Cooper two games behind Memorial with three games to play.

In Wichita Falls, the Abilene High girls claimed a 39-28 win over Legacy, clinching second place in the district. The Abilene High boys, on the other hand, fell out of a three-way tie for first place with Wylie and Legacy with a 50-34 loss to the Leopards.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Eagles fend off second-half rally from Cooper; AHS girls roll to win

The Abilene High boys and girls basketball teams rode hot-shooting first quarters to wins on Friday as they swept crosstown rival Cooper in District 4-5A basketball at Eagle Gym.

The Lady Eagles opened the night with a 64-39 win as they moved to 16-14 on the year and 4-2 in district. The win also clinched a playoff berth for Abilene in its first year under coach Alfonzo Franklin.

The boys team followed that up by holding off a second half rally from the Cougars to earn a 60-53 win on a night where they didn’t have their normal shooting touch from behind the arc. Friday’s win moved AHS to 18-10 on the season and 3-1 in district while the Cougars fell to 8-14 overall and 0-4 in district — putting Cooper in a must-win situation on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 23): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 23.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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Hoops
by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 23): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 23.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys, girls sweep rival Cooper to stay unbeaten in District 4-5A play

The Wylie boys and girls basketball teams maintained their perfect district records Tuesday night, dominating crosstown rival Cooper in a doubleheader sweep at Cougar Gym.

After the Lady Bulldogs opened the evening with a 52-14 win to move to 5-0 in District 5-4A action, the WHS boys pulled away for a 54-26 victory in the nightcap to improve their league record to 3-0.

The sweep kept the Wylie squads alone atop the 4-5A standings, where both the girls and boys lead second-place Abilene High, which earned a sweep of its own Tuesday at Wichita Falls Memorial.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wichita Falls Legacy boys rally in final minute to stave off spirited Cooper upset bid

For 31 of 32 minutes, the Cooper boys basketball team did all the little things it needed to to give itself a chance to knock off a much larger Wichita Legacy squad Friday at Cougar Gym. 

But leading 27-26 with just under a minute remaining after rallying twice in the fourth quarter to regain a lead it had held most of the night, the Cougars couldn’t close out the Leopards, falling 30-27 in a game that was hard-fought throughout.

The Legacy win completed a doubleheader sweep for the visitors, who scored a 44-25 victory in the girls game earlier in the evening.

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by Evan Ren

Evan Ren’s 2024 True Grit Team: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!

We all know a football player who almost never misses any practice time and practically lives in the weight room. He’s always early to arrive and late to leave. He’s coachable, but seldom needs direction because he always pays attention. 

You know who I’m talking about.

The guy who sets a good example for young players. The guy who never complains and, first and foremost, is tough mentally and physically. He may not be the best player on a team (though some of them are). But he’s definitely the guy who gets the most out of the talent he’s given. 

Welcome to the 2024 “True Grit” team — the one place in the Big Country where guys who fall into this category are recognized for it.

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by Daniel Youngblood

BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024

Here are our selections for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

Continue reading “BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top football under classmen in the Big Country for 2024” →

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High girls improve to 2-0 in district with 52-44 win over rival Cooper

Coming off a wild 55-51 overtime win over Wichita Falls Memorial in their District 4-5A opener on Friday, the Abilene High Lady Eagles were given just a few days to recharge their emotional batteries before Tuesday’s Crosstown Showdown with rival Cooper.

But coach Alfonzo Franklin’s squad proved up to the task, riding a 15-5 first-quarter run to a 52-44 win at Cougar Gym to stay in lockstep with Wylie atop the league standings.

Samia Cooper led Abilene High with 13 points, while four other Lady Eagles had at least seven in a balanced scoring effort. Those contributions allowed AHS to stretch its lead to 18 early in the third quarter and a game-high 20 points early in the fourth, before Cooper made a late surge in the closing minutes.

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