Go Friday Night

NO MATTER WHAT!

By Tommy Kilpatrick
August 18, 2005

So, another season is upon us. It's that time of year when the long hot Summer realizes he has overstayed his welcome and he is slowly replaced by the crisp Autumn air that welcomes one of the greatest times of the year. It wont be long until our week nights are full of funnel cakes and corn dogs as we walk down the midway of the West Texas Fair. Not long until our Sunday afternoons are spent throwing the pigskin around as the heavenly smell of slowly grilled steaks gently teases our senses. Oh, and then there are Friday nights... those glorious Friday nights. That time when the world around us seems to shut down for what feels like days as the young men we have watched for so many years don their proud school colors and take part in a tradition as old and proud as the lone star itself. Whether at the stadium, in front of the radio, or behind the computer... this is a special time of the year and folks in Cougar Country are ready.

We've heard the talk and read the headlines... "Bigger, Stronger and Faster." Those of us fortunate enough to live in God's country may have even seen the results of a long and hard offseason on the practice field. Gone are familiar faces and attitudes replaced by the eager anticipation that only youth can bring, and Cooper has plenty of youth. All have had several months (feels like years) to digest the pain of defeat and the emptiness that comes with knowing your Friday nights will no longer be spent under the glaring lights of the stadium. Those who felt that emptiness will use that as motivation to prevent that scenario from playing itself out again. These young men and coaches have taken things up a notch over the offseason. They have worked harder than ever and they now await the results of that hard work. With eager anticipation, we wait until the night of August 19th when these new Cougars take to the field of Shotwell Stadium to scrimmage the Coyotes of Wichita Falls High. Though the outcome of the evening will not matter, it will be the first time that the product of countless hours of sweat and pain will be showcased for all to see.

No Matter What. That is the motto assigned to this group of young men that will strap on the Air Force Blue and Scarlet. It is a motto that symbolizes a growing desire to achieve all that can be achieved by any means necessary. A desire to prove the naysayers wrong and return the Cougars to the summit of the greatest district in the land. More than a motto, it is a passion. An intense devotion to the idea that hard work, discipline and class will bare fruit on the field of play. This is the motto adopted by a team. Not a player, a coach or a fan, but a team that includes everyone from the players and coaches themselves, to the desperate fan thousands of miles away praying his internet connection will hold on long enough to hear the fight song played so that he or she may join in with the all the other Cougars of the world as they proudly proclaim, "WE WILL NOT FAIL!"

God Bless and GO COOGS!

Updated Cougar rosters, stats and standings:
www.geocities.com/coopercougars

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