GAMES
RANKINGS
The John Cooper School has eventful weekend
VARSITY FOOTBALL
9/29vs. Cistercian Prep* • 43-32 W
COOPER HOMECOMING!
“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
The Dragons have certainly navigated a “rough road” this year, but it seems that they have finally started to handle the bumps as they won their third game in a row Friday night defeating the Hawks of Cistercian 43- 32. The Dragons move to 3-0 in SPC play as they continue to polish and refine looking more and more like the Dragon teams of recent times.
For the second game in a row, the Dragon offense came to life. Freshman QB Colson Collins was 19 for 28 with 265 yards and four touchdowns. Dragon receivers stood on their head led by senior WR Kaden Davis who hauled in five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Junior WR Skylar Loggins found the endzone for the first time in his Dragon football career and senior WR Gus Feinberg added another touchdown to his storied Dragon career. Once again junior RB Dean Calhoun carried the load on the ground for the Dragons with 15 carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns. The Dragon defense was led by junior LB Bryce Weatherholt who tallied 11 tackles and defensive newcomer Santi Fernandez Villarreal who had six tackles and one interception. Senior DE Cooper Sansbury caused trouble in the Hawk backfield all night and it was a welcome sight to see senior CB Stephen Schlichter back from injury being physical as usual.
The Dragons found themselves on their heels at times but managed to keep the Hawks at bay enough to seal the win. The Dragons travel to Fort Worth next week to take on the Falcons of Fort Worth Country Day School.–Coach Daniel Lewis
Next up for Dragon Football:
October 6 at Fort Worth Country Day*, 7 p.m.
October 13 vs. Houston Christian*, 7 p.m. Senior Night
October 20 at Trinity Valley School*, 7 p.m.
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VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY
9/30 at Chili Pepper Festival, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Coach George Dohner: The Cooper Cross Country teams traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas to run the Chile Pepper Cross Country festival.
The girls started the day finishing 37th out of 83 teams. Alexis Seymour led the girls, running 20:00 for the 5k. Tahira King at 20:04 and Emma Locht at 21:54 also ran well. They were followed closely by Milla Signorelli at 21:54 and Lexi Fitz Sullivan at 21:57.
The boys finished 29th out of 110 teams. Grey Mendenhall led the pack, finishing in 69th place out of 860 runners with a time of 16:24. Jacob Bailey broke 17:00 minutes for the first time, running 16:58. Walter Day ran 17:03 followed by Aditya Pakel at 17:33 and Nathan Montes at 17:46.
I am extremely proud of the effort given by our boys and girls teams. A special shout to our Team Moms and parents for their support this weekend.
Next up for Dragon Cross Country
October 7 at St. John’s Maverick Ramble, 8 a.m.
October 21 at SPC South Zone Championships, St. Andrew’s Episcopal, 8 a.m.
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VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
9/26vs. Duchesne* • 3-0 W
9/29at St. Andrews Episcopal* • 3-2 W
9/30at St. Stephens Episcopal* • 3-0 L
Next up for Dragon Volleyball:
October 3 vs. Houston Christian*, 5:30 p.m.
October 5 vs. Kinkaid*, 5:30 p.m. Dig Pink
October 12 at St. John’s*, 5:30 p.m.
October 19 vs. Episcopal High School*, 6 p.m.
October 26 vs. Awty*, 6 p.m.
LET'S RIDE: Friendswood Mustangs Standing Tall
Senior libero Andi Vaught can read a room.
Earlier this season, she led movie night where the Friendswood Mustangs huddled to watch “When the Game Stands Tall”. The movie chronicles De La Salle High School, one of the nation’s best high school football teams.
The message – no one is bigger than the team. It’s about leadership, love and the brotherhood of a team.
The movie hit.
“It was the perfect movie at the perfect time for the perfect team,” coach Sarah Paulk said. “We have had adversity this year and the girls keep stepping up. We played a tournament in Florida and it was a great team-building experience for us. It was then when I could see this team really coming together.”
The team suffered a set-back in the preseason, however, losing Meghan Donoughue to an Achilles injury. She will be lost for the season. Sophomore outside Sydney Gibson has been out all season but will return in the next week, and junior DS Anna Melgren should be back in a few weeks with another injury.
The Mustangs reached the State Tournament as recent as 2019 and have had continued success in the postseason since, but they have been tripped up by Fulshear of late.
“We haven’t won district in two years (Manvel) and we’ve hit some road blocks late in the season,” she said. “But this team really works hard and has great chemistry.”
The ‘Stangs are currently 16-9 overall and 3-0 in district play with a young and talented team.
Vaught keeps the youngsters on track… and they are really talented.
Sophomore Nadi’Ya Shelby is hammering balls at a violent pace and she is set up by sophomore setter Caroline Adams.
“Nadi’Ya does some things athletically that I’ve never seen before. She is special,” Paulk said. “Caroline has stepped up huge running the offense. She has allowed us to run a 5-1 instead of a 6-2.”
Other sophomores Haley Patton (DS) and Tallah Benson (OH) have played expanded roles, along with juniors Jordyn Sims (right side) and Preslee Alaniz (MB).
“It has been true team effort,” she said. “Everyone plays a role.”
Next Tuesday will be very telling. The Manvel Mavs are looming, who have been a thorn in the hooves of the Mustangs the past two seasons.
Will the “Stand Tall”?
Vaught will see to it.