Cooper Cougars

Coogs come close, but let the Hawks steal the win

Happy Homecoming to any alumni that might be reading this blog, and a not so happy one for our Cougar football team. We knew it was going to be a shoot out and a very tough test for both teams and it did turn out that way. Pimpton who was definitely the MVP in this game, made a statement to everybody that our run offense is good to go for the regular season. This game in my opinion really came down a very costly mistake by Ryan Heslep in the beginning of the 3rd quarter. It let the Hawks have the ball in a very good place and they made the Coogs pay for it in a big way. That was the game changer and without it I think this ends up being a win for the Cougars. This was a pretty typical game with another very good team, and the Coogs have got to learn to finish off teams. With all that being said, the Coogs are learning some valuable things about themselves and I would much rather Ryan make his mistakes now then later.

The Cougars are going into a bye week and so they will have some time to rest tired muscles and have extra time to prepare for their first regular season game Hereford. The Coogs have many advantages coming into this game besides the extra week of rest. They also get to play in the cozy confines of Shotwell while the Hereford team gets to make a very long trip. Looking at the Hereford stats they seem like a pretty average team on offense and defense, they are coming off a loss this week and who knows what there in for next week. Another loss would not hurt my feelings any, and some vengeful Coogs would also make my heart swoon. Cooper is 2-0 against 4A teams this season and In my opinion I believe that this game is going to go pretty quick in Coopers favor. If anything just from an exhaustion standpoint, the Coogs are going to have more players on the sideline then anybody they play in the regular season. With a very fast top notch receiving corp, I think your going to have some very winded defensive backs, that will have to run a constant nickel defense on the Coogs or give Pimpton the chance to run all over them. The main key is that coach Spradlin is going to have to realize that he has a bigger team and start using the spread to its fullest against what I feel is going to be a very tired team without as many backups. The grueling pre-season run that Coogs have made have done two things, it has given them much needed confidence that they can still hang with playoff bound 5A's. It has also helped them that they have seen a lot of coverages and offenses and so their should be no big suprises for them.

With no Cougar game happening if you want to get your fix I would say go check out any of the 3A games in the surrounding areas. That has been a very fun division to watch and its only going to get better. Hopefully, ARN will move our blog up to the active ones, so tell your friends that the Cougar blog is going well. I'm going to do some research on Hereford and will be able to give you a little better break down on what the Coogs are looking at for their district opener.

Restoring the ROAR!!!!! 2008

Welcome all to 2008 blog for our Abilene Cooper Cougars, a bit of delay with ARN but we are finally ready to go and I'm ready to start typing. Hard not to be excited this year with the monstrous defense led by Will Ford and company, and believe you me even listening on the live feed you know when Will Ford has hit somebody. The offense still has enough new faces that its going to make the last game of the pre-season very interesting. The Coogs suprise, suprise to most of us life long die hard fans have fallen out of the top 10 poll again. I do believe that after the grueling 3 game string of rumored playoff bound 5A's and one more tough test ahead, that the Coogs 2-2 record is definitely misleading to say the least. So by all means drop the Cougars out of the poll because the waiting storm that is the Cougars is ready to hit a very unprepared 4A division.

That doesn't mean that the Coogs do not have some work to do before district play starts, and first things first is all the penalties. The Coogs have basically given away some wins to some teams that I felt really fell short of the hoopla that is bestowed upon them. I think that as the offensive line gets more and more used to Ryan Heslep's cadence a lot of the false starts are going to fade away as time goes on. The team as a whole is going to mature and so I expect to see very few penalties in the homecoming game against Lewisville Hebron. The offense is also going to have to get on track, and start producing in the red zone and watching the fumbles. Some people have called it bad play calling but I think the offense as a whole needs to be confident that every time there in the red that there going to score. They will gain that over time and Cougar fans need to give them that time. I would still like to see our receiving corps unleashed though a little bit more than what they have been. Sonnier, Bowman, and Powers are going to beat most corners down the field. I also think that the Spradlin has been in the game long enough and has been holding them back to a certain degree to have a few suprises left. I expect when district play starts your going to see a very productive spread offense in action.

Lets get excited about Saturday's game and everybody where there red and blue and lets show the doubters in Abilene that Cougar pride is still strong, and that we do not need rude t-shirts to make a point. We have been there before and we are going to be there again, so lets make some noise on Saturday and remember your faithful blogger listening to live stream up here in Indianapolis wants to be able to hear the screams.

If anybody sees any mistakes definitely let me know this is my first time doing this and if I miss something I would like to know about it so I can fix it. Lets get this blog going again.

Restoring the ROAR!!!!! 2008

That doesn't mean that the Coogs do not have some work to do before district play starts, and first things first is all the penalties. The Coogs have basically given away some wins to some teams that I felt really fell short of the hoopla that is bestowed upon them. I think that as the offensive line gets more and more used to Ryan Heslep's cadence a lot of the false starts are going to fade away as time goes on. The team as a whole is going to mature and so I expect to see very few penalties in the homecoming game against Lewisville Hebron. The offense is also going to have to get on track, and start producing in the red zone and watching the fumbles. Some people have called it bad play calling but I think the offense as a whole needs to be confident that every time there in the red that there going to score. They will gain that over time and Cougar fans need to give them that time. I would still like to see our receiving corps unleashed though a little bit more than what they have been. Sonnier, Bowman, and Powers are going to beat most corners down the field. I also think that the Spradlin has been in the game long enough has been holding them back to a certain degree. I expect when district play starts your going to see a very productive spread offense in action.

If anybody sees any mistakes definitely let me know this is my first time doing this and if I miss something I would like to know about it so I can fix it. Lets get this blog going again.

Another Reason to Beat the Eagles (as if we needed one)

Bragging rights, revenge, shutting them up, returning the swagger, and the list goes on and on. These are all reasons why the Cougars will want to beat their cross-town rivals this Friday night. But what has almost been overlooked is the fact that this is a crucial distrist game for the Cougars. Right now the Eagles are guaranteed a play-off spot at 3-0 in district, but should the Cougars lose Friday, then they would have to win their final district game against Lee. If that were the circumstance then the Cougars would finish 2-3 and they would most likely be tied with some other teams. I don't even want to get into what the rules are to figure out tie-breakers. The point is this: the Cougars have a wonderful opportunity to control their own destiny. If they beat Abilene High and then carry that momentum and beat Lee, the Cougars will be guaranteed a play-off spot! How great would that be to see the red and blue back in the play-offs! Cougars, here's hoping you are putting in your best effort this week in preparing for the Eagles and the opportunity to make a run at a state-championship. Let's take the neccessary steps to get the job done Friday night! Go Cougars!

The Big Time

As of this morning, there are still some tickets left to the big game on Friday night. The article on the front page of Go Friday night says people were lining up at 3:30AM just to get tickets. Wow! I know people who aren't from Texas have a hard time understanding how people could get so fired up for a high school football game, but those people aren't from West Texas! Wikipedia says that Shotwell has a capacity of 15,000 and Friday night I expect the place to be full and then some with the extra bleachers brought in for students, etc. The point I'm making is that this is the big time for the young men involved! For the most part they will never play in front of a crowd like this again. Even young men who go on to play college ball sometimes don't play in venues such as the one on Friday night. So Cougars, I speak from experience, when you walk onto that field Friday before kick-off, your emotions will be flowing like they never have before. You will barely be able to contain yourself as your run through that banner while the Cougar fight song plays and the Cooper fans go wild! Yes, I have already taken off from work weeks ago because I wouldn't miss this one for the world. I'll have my face painted and my noisemaker and you can count on me to do my part. All I ask is that you do your part Cougars and that means going all out this week in practice working harder than you have all year. Then, explode on the Eagles when that football is kicked off and don't let up until the clock strikes zero at the end of the fourth quarter! Thank you in advance for making us proud! Go Cougars!

The Varsity Will Most Certainly Be Brought!

Am I the only one who remembers the Abilene High school shirts from last year? In case you don't they said "Hey Cooper, next year bring your varsity." What a slap in the face. I thought and still think that the shirt was classless and in poor taste, but then again I have pretty much come to expect that from the Eagles. Their fans, players, coaches, and students cry and complain and make excuses when they lose and then when they finally win they act like they are the greatest football team to ever play the game. I'll admit the Eagels handled the Cougars and beat us fair and square. But that was last year. This year let's not even give them any excuse to run their mouths! And when we win, we will do it with class because we are used to it! Go Coogs!

Room for Improvement

The Cougars had a great come from behind win Friday night, and while the celebration was good while it lasted, it is now time to move on and prepare for our next opponent. This week the Cougars face their cross-town rivals and the leader in district 3-5A in the Abilene High Eagles. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best and this game will be a great opportunity for the Cougars to make a statement that they are back from the pitiful Secord teams. With that being said, the Coogs face a tough challenge with Abilene High and I will be the first to say that if the Coogs play the way they did against Midland, then you can chalk up a loss right now. What do I mean? Unofficially I was told the Cougars had 12 dropped passes. Most of them were crucial drops too. Also the Cougars for some reason had a hard time protecting the football and had fumblitis all night. Again unacceptable. Finally the Cougars continue to make foolish penalties. I know early on the Cougars had an interception overturned because a defender was off-sides. Finally on defense the Cougars are still making mental errors such as lining up in the wrong gaps and calling the defense incorrectly. The Cougars will have to win the turnover battle and play mistake free football Friday if they want to beat their most hated opponent. I know the Coogs are capable of getting the job done and I want nothing more than to congratulate the guys as they come off the field Friday. Here's to knocking off the district leader and taking back the swagger that belongs to us! Go Cougars!

Coogs Lose 2nd Half, Fall to Permian

Friday night in Odessa, the Coogs battled the Permian Panthers. The Panthers took the early lead going up 28-7. The Coogs fought back thanks to some great Joe Joe running tying the game 28-28 at the half. Cooper was fired up coming out the second half, but a quick Permian strike silenced them. Then Mojo worked it's magic. 63-34 would be the final. QB Tate Smith lead the Panthers with 6 touchdowns passing, tying a 3-5A record. The Panthers finished with 507 yards of total offense. Cooper QB Zach Stewart threw for 339 yards and 3 TD's. TE Andrew Squyres had a big night catching 11 passes for 100+ yards. RB Joe Joe Jones had over 100 yards rushing. Next Week the Coogs are home to take on the Midland High Bulldogs.

MHS (1-1) vs. CHS (0-2)
Players to watch for MHS:
QB- John Burns (6'1 190)
RB- Branden Batch (5'5 160)
WR- Sebastian De La Rosa (5'10 155)
FS- T.J. London (6'1 207)
OL- Forrest Deatherage (6'0 240)
DL- Cody Parker (6'2 301)

Vote Dom Rhodes for Pro Bowl

Silva Sportz has a great post that is basically a campaign for Dominic Rhodes to get into the Pro Bowl. Let's support our Cougar alum and vote him in! Check it out here fool.

Crosstown Rivalry T-Shirts

CROSSTOWN RIVALRY T-SHIRTS
The crosstown rivalry t-shirts are now on sale! Cooper will take on the Eagles in the annual crosstown football game on November 3 at Shotwell Stadium. Everyone needs to get their shirt and support the Cougars. The shirts will be red this year. Shirt prices are:
Youth - S-L - $10
Adult - S-XL - $10
Adult - 2XL-3XL - $12
Contact Jane Allred at 691.1000, x7988 or Donna Wise @
691.1000, x1138 to purchase your shirt or for more information.

Stewart Dave Campbell Player of the Week

Sorry for being a little late on this one but congratulations to Zach Stewart on being named Dave Campbell's Player of the Week for his performance against Lubbock Coronado last week. Stewart, who passed for a District 3-5A record 453 yards and 5 TDs, received 57 percent of the votes. More here. Be sure and congratulate Zach and all the Cougars on a job well done!

Cheers and Jeers - Coogs vs Mustangs

Cheers:
Cheers to the entire Cooper offense who all played a part in helping quarterback Zach Stewart to a new school and district passing record with 453 yards. Obvious cheers to Stewart who is looking terrific this season. On the field that is. I mean his gameplay!

Jeers:
Jeers to the Mustangs who all night took out their frustrations of getting beaten with unsportsmanlike conduct and an overall lack of class. Talk is cheap boys, Coogs prefer to let their game play do the talking.

Cheers:
Cheers to all the great Cougar fans last night who came out wearing their red and blue and brought out their homemade noisemakers and yelled their heads off in support of their team. I even know of one guy who painted his face like the Ultimate Warrior in support of the Coogs. What a king!

Jeers:
Jeers to casual fans who come to the game and then sit their as though they would rather be somewhere else. In case you don’t know I am obviously a season ticket holder, so I am noting fans who are also sitting in the season ticket holder section. If you’re a season ticket holder the least you could do is find a red or blue shirt to wear and yell every now and then. You paid good money to be there so act like it!

Cheers:
Cheers to the Cougar coaching staff who did an excellent job all week of preparing our Cougars to face Coronado and then executed their game plan Friday night. I have been critical at times of some coaching decisions and I will probably find something in the future to nit-pick about, but overall I appreciate Coach Spradlin and his staff more than I make known. Great job against the Mustangs coaches!

Cheers:
Cheers to our backs and receivers who continued to run hard all night and get the tough yardage. I guarantee our opponent’s defenses are being told that they have to get 3-4 men to be sure and wrap up our ball carriers cuz they ain’t going down without a fight! Jo Jo Jand A’Mon are continuing in the Coogs tradition of great running backs.

Cheers:
Cheers to Big Drigg who’s name was constantly called over the PA system all night. Driggers is undersized but definitely has a nose for the ball.

Jeers:
Jeers to the Cougar defense, namely the D-line who seemed to be gassed the majority of the game. I am sure people want to argue that they were worn out because they played so tough, but the reality is you have to be ready to play the full 48 minutes at top speed. It’s not always easy but that is why you put in the work in practice.

Cheers:
Here is another group I have been critical of previously and they still have room for improvement, but Cheers to the offensive line who on several drives allowed the Coogs to change up the pace and run the ball all over the Mustang D for huge gains. Nothing is more heartbreaking for a defense to be run on and Bonilla, Jase, Hay, Taylor, and Paris opened the holes up. Lost in the excitement of 453 passing yards is the fact that Jo Jo and A’mon had a combined 20 carries for 198 yards. You can see that is just a hair under 10 yards a carry, which is very impressive.

Jeers:
Jeers to KTXS reporter George Levesque for saying that Cooper’s 61 points scored Friday night is the first time the Coogs broke the 60-point barrier in a decade. The reality is the Coogs put 61 points on the board just as recently as 2 years ago when they beat Odessa 61-7 in 2004. (Cheers to Phil for originally pointing this out). I know nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes, but as a reporter you have a responsibility to insure the accuracy of your information. This is something that wasn’t hard to look up either.

If you have any more Cheers or Jeers to add, please do so with a comment below!

Cooper vs Coronado Summary

If you went to Friday night’s game that saw the Coogs destroy the Mustangs (you can’t even spell Mustangs?!!!) then let me just say WOW!!! The Cougars did an excellent job Friday night beating a good Lubbock Coronado team. The Cougars are peaking at the right time as they are preparing to go into a tough district schedule. The Cougar offense got it going quick and often as all night long the Mustang defense had no answer for the Cougars quick spread O. I saw a few things from the O that had previously been missing. First off, I found it much improved the way the Cougars ran the no-huddle Friday night. For the most part the offense hurried to the line and got the next play off quickly after the previous one. Unlike previous weeks, they did not take 15-20 seconds at the line getting the play in before snapping the ball. This week you noticed the quick, no-huddle kept the defense on their heels all evening and did not allow them to make personnel changes to preferred matchups. Second, we finally got to see the spread offense run the way it is supposed to be and exploit the matchups that make it a popular offense that is tough to stop. What I mean is that we saw the ball “spread” around the field with completions made short, intermediate, and deep in the middle of the field and both sidelines.
On defense, we saw the Coogs completely unleash the blitz for really the first time all year. The secondary played great all game with tight one on one coverage on the sidelines especially on the deep ball. This confidence in the one on one coverage allowed the Coogs to unleash the blitz and bring the extra backers late in the game. The Mustangs simply were not prepared for the Cougar blitz and could not block the extra defenders. However, now that the blitzes are being unveiled more, look for future opponents to have them scouted better. Therefore the Coogs still need to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback from their front four alone. There were a couple of times that the ends brought good pressure but the Coogs are still struggling with breaking down and making the tackle.
Special teams also looked improved this week with nice returns on kickoff returns and better coverage on kickoffs. The Coogs punt formation worries me some, as it seems every week our opponent is getting closer and closer to blocking one. I guess if we continue to get the 15 yard personal foul penalty for roughing the kicker, then that’s okay as long as Lil’ Swink survives.
Overall, great job by the Cougars for keeping up the intensity all night and not allowing the Mustangs back in the game. Congratulations to our Cooper boys, keep up the hard work next week as you prepare for Brownwood and then on to District and our goal of restoring the Roarrrrrrrrrr!!!

San Angelo Central Summary

A wise man once said, “we back those Cooper boys, they go to Cooper high, they’ll never let us down, we’ll fight with might, the red and blue tonight…” Have sweeter words ever been sung? Yes but that is beside the point. I have already stated how proud I am of the Coogs but as well as the Cougars played Thursday night, it is a dangerous thing to be satisfied with where they are at and not continue working toward their ultimate goals.
With that being said, here are some areas of improvement that the Cougars still struggled in against the Bobcats.
First, the Cougars still had too many unnecessary penalties. Are there any necessary penalties? Well that is like asking if anyone gets tracted, and the man who asked that was far too wise. The point is the Cougars need to eliminate foolish false starts (not paying attention) and especially eliminate the personal fouls. 15 yards isn’t worth it to get in that extra push after the whistle and besides, the Cougars will let their game speak for themselves. Second, we must be better tacklers! It is imperative that defenders wrap up and not allow extra yardage from broken arm tackles! The majority, if not all of Central’s big gains on offense came when their ball carrier was allowed the extra yards due to missed tackles. Thirdly, I still think the Cougars are taking too long to get their plays in on offense. I am not sure of all the intricacies of this new Spradlin offense, but I do know that the whole advantage of running a “no-huddle” is to keep the defense on it’s heels and keep the ball moving at an accelerated pace. Several times the Coogs snapped the ball with only 5-7 seconds left on the play clock. Which brings me to clock management. Again I was frustrated somewhat with the way the Coogs managed the clock at the end of the first half.
Another area to improve is turnovers, I know there was at least one fumble by a back and then the turnover on a punt where the ball hit a Cooper player and was recovered by Central. It may be only 2 turnovers, but that is 2 too many in my opinion. Also the Cooper offensive line needs to do a better job of getting push off the ball especially in short yardage. One example is the Coogs had a first and goal and ran two unsuccessful plays from inside the five yd line in their goal line package. On third down the Coogs were forced to go 4 wide. 4 wide on the goal line!! Finally, one of the biggest weaknesses of the Cooper game has to be special teams. I was proud of the Cougars for making their FG’s when they had to, but they also missed two extra points! Also the kick-off coverage seems susceptible to me, the guys need to do a better job of staying in their lane, flying down the field, and making the sure tackle. As for the return game, well so far it is non-existent. I don’t recall the Cougars getting any kind of punt return all evening. Many times the ball is not fielded when I think it could be and when it is we need to get some positive yards. As for kick-off, I know we broke a long one later in the game, but I think that was poor tackling on Central’s part. I credit the return man’s effort, but I believe the Cougars front group needs to do a much better job of getting hat on somebody and then sticking with that man. Special teams are a very important part of football and have decided many a football game over the years. If the Cougars want to play championship ball, then they will need to execute like champions in their special teams play. The good thing is all these areas can easily be improved with hard work and determination. As the coach of the Brisco Hawks says, “You know what you’re capable of, I just haven’t seen it yet.” Another wise man once said, "Good, better, best - never let it rest - until your good is better and your better is best!"
Now onto the positives. First of all, I can’t say enough how much improved the Coogs intensity was from the Temple game. Especially coming out from halftime, the Cooper players had their fires lit and were pumped up ready to take it to those Bobcats. Second, defense did an excellent job on maintaining gap responsibilities and plugging up the running lanes. Excellent job by the defensive line by re-establishing the line of scrimmage in the Bobcat backfield all night. Excellent job by the linebackers and DB’s of coming up in a hurry in run support. Receivers did a much, much better job of catching the ball this week as I only counted one dropped ball all evening. Not only that but the receivers are doing an excellent job of getting up the field after the catch and getting the tough yards. Speaking of getting the tough yards, the backs did an excellent job too of grinding out the tough yards and refusing to go down on the first hit. Back to the DB’s, their coverage was much improved and the guys did a good job of timing the pass so that they broke on it at just the right time to knock it away or to put the hit on the receiver so they couldn’t haul it in. I know I have already criticized the clock management of the coaches, but I do commend them for the way they managed the clock at the end of the game. Their play calling was excellent and it allowed the Cougars to eat up yards and clock so that the Bobcats were helpless to do anything.
To wrap up, I have purposely left off specific names of Coogs who did an excellent job because the Cougars are a team. They lose together and win together and we all know that it is a team effort. I only look for the Cougars to improve as the season goes on. I have had many people compliment me who are not even Cooper fans that this years team looks like it has what it takes to get the job done. I couldn’t agree more, if the Cougars play to the best of their ability. Then and only then can the Cougars win their next few games and go into district with the momentum to bring home the bell and make it back to the play-offs! Go Cougars!

Cougars Losers No More!

Congratulations to the Cooper Cougars who won their first game of the season and snapped their 7 game losing streak with a big win over San Angelo Central Thursday! Go Cougars! I cannot express how proud I am of these young men, not only for getting a “W” in the win column but for the way the Coogs got the job done. Before I explain what I mean I have to go back a week ago to the Cougars game versus Temple. You may recall that for my Temple preview, (which you can read here) I said that coming off the bye week, I was worried that the Cougars would be flat and that playing an 0-17 team, it would be very easy for the Coogs to underestimate the Wildcats and get beat. If you saw the game against Temple, then you know that is exactly what happened. The Cougars played an extremely sloppy game and they allowed a less-talented Temple team to make them look foolish. The most heart-breaking aspect of the Temple loss for me was the way the Cougars never seemed to get fired up, they played flat, and they simply did not play Cooper Cougar football for a lack of better words. I personally was so dissatisfied with the Cooper effort last Friday night that I did not even write a posting for that game because as the saying goes, “if you do not have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” The one positive that I hoped to come out of the Temple game was that I knew how bitter a taste the loss left I my mouth, how much more so for the players and coaches. I fully believed that this short week to San Angelo Central would be a turning point in the Cougars season. The way I saw it the Coogs had two choices, they could roll over and lose their confidence and simply go through the motions for the rest of the season OR they could realize what happens when you don’t prepare 100%, don’t give your very best effort for 48 minutes, and you expect your opponent to roll over for you. The Coogs then had to make up their minds that they were going to do everything in their power to restore the roar to a proud football program and that is exactly what they did Thursday night!
The Cougars played their brand of ball Thursday night. What is Cougar football you might ask? Well is means doing the little things right, like no foolish penalties. It means knowing your assignment and fulfilling it, even if it may not bring a player personal glory. Cougar football is tackling and blocking they way you were taught, being fundamentally sound. Cougar football is executing the plays the way you have practiced all week. Cougar football is going all out until the whistle blows. It is not getting down if everything isn’t going perfect, but rather overcoming adversity. Cougar football is playing the game with intensity and class. Were the Cougars perfect against the Bobcats? Certainly not, but the Cougars did an excellent job of making the leap of turning this proud program around and letting the state of Texas know that the Abilene Cooper Cougars are a force to be reckoned with. Cooper fans across that state are proud of them for that! Even the intensity dog would be proud! Go Cougars!